Snuggle with me

I have been hankering after some new bedding for quite awhile. There are two main components to my hanker: first, the bedroom is the only room we have done absolutely nothing with since we moved in 10 years ago. Every other room has, at the very least, gotten a slap of paint and at least one piece of new furniture. The bedroom has technically gotten one piece since we moved in, if you can count the valet I bought for Grant several years ago. We also put in blinds and valances, but since all the bedrooms got that, it hardly counts. Anyway, because the bedroom still has the paint and the wallpaper trim it originally sported, it is in dire need of a do-over.

So, (and this is still my first reason) I want to pick a new duvet cover and a new summer quilt and choose my wall and window dressing colours based on the new bedding. Makes sense, right? At the same time, I don't want to make too huge a colour change from what I currently have, because I have quite a few sheets in that palette and don't want to have to replace them all. Sheets are expensive! My current sheet collection features red sheets, ivory sheets, taupe sheets and dark green. The dark green sheets are nearly worn through, but I can't toss them because my husband loves them. *sigh*

I have been wanting the following set from Pottery Barn for the longest time. My husband likes this one better. I think either would be really nice and would inspire me to paint my walls a combination of slate blue and either creamy white or a warm taupe. ( I am leaning toward adding a chair rail.)

What do you guys think?

(part two to follow)

Remodels are fun!!

Right?

We decided a few months ago to finish remodelling the master bathroom. You may remember that we re-finished the cabinets ourselves and painted the walls purple. But, of course, that minor facelift just made the ratty old tiles, bathtub and toilet look even rattier. We were further inspired by the rebates available for installing low-flush toilets and a tax credit for remodelling costs. Last month, we started gathering the materials we needed. Tiles were ordered a combination of subway tiles and mosaic glass. Toilets and tub were bought on the (relative) cheap, and stored in the basement. Estimates for installation were obtained. We decided to have our contractor do the work while we were in Tucson, as it would mean being shower-less for the duration.

We got back very late Wednesday night (or early Thursday morning, if you are a stickler for that sort of thing). The house was full of dust, the hot water didn't work properly and I was not altogether thrilled with the grouting on the mosaic tile. *sigh* After Grant emailed our contractor, we went to bed: showerless and sneezing.

The contractor called first thing in the morning and brought over his plumber to fix the hot water. I stayed in bed while they worked, because I didn't want to have to answer if he asked me if I was happy with the work. Yeah, avoidance is so healthy... At any rate, the hot water fixed and the caulking finished (did I mention that the caulking wasn't done either?), he left, after telling us that we needed to wait 6 hours to shower.

Shortly after 2 pm, the kid took his shower. (Oh yeah, we have a kid back home, too. More on that later.) Then the husband took his. I was just about to go upstairs for mine, when I noticed water on the floor of the kitchen. Oops. Then I looked up and saw one of those bulges you just don't want to see in the ceiling. Sure enough, there was water cascading from a leak whenever anyone took a shower. You know, the thing I HADN'T HAD YET?

Also, it was New Year's Eve.

And our phones went out at the same time.

Luckily, both contractor and phone guy were able to come out on New Year's Day and fix stuff. I had my shower, and later on, a bath in the BEST BATHTUB EVER!! The shower works great and the toilets are efficiently flushing away. We put in a curved shower curtain rod, which makes the shower feel huge! I have largely gotten over the dissatisfaction with the grouting, because...well, short of tearing it all apart, there's not much to be done.

We still have to do something about the sink and countertop, but that will just have to wait until I am ready. For some more FUN.

Yeah, there are pictures:






Bonus pictures of our new basement, with NEW!! IMPROVED!! book (and wine) storage:



And cool shoji screens with shelves for more stuff:




That provide a nifty place to hide all the other junk we own:

25 things about me

I have been tagged at least three times for this. Finally, I am getting around to doing it.

1. My paternal grandparents lived in Southern California, so during a large part of my childhood, my family managed to take us to Disneyland once a year. I have probably been there at least ten times. Although I loved many of the rides, my favourite was always Peter Pan. I still get a tingle when I hear Peter say "Here we goooooo!!"

2. When I was very small, I used to listen to my parent's recording of "HMS Pinafore" endlessly. The vinyl discs were stored in a cardboard case, with a photograph of the D'oyly Carte production. When D'oyly Carte came to San Francisco with their production, my parents took me to see it. The curtain rose, and the set was the exact same as the album cover!! I was amazed and delighted, as only a 7 year old can be.

3. I hate peas. I often pick them out of my food.

4. I have been fired three times.

5. I have always alphabetized my music collection. I have never alphabetized my book collection.

6. Speaking of books, I own over a hundred Star Trek novels.

7. For my university graduation present, my parents gave me $1000, which I spent on a week-long trip to New York City. The first two nights I spent at a hotel on Times Square, then I crashed (illegally) at a dorm room at Columbia with a girl I met my second night in town.

8. I drink my coffee black, but I like a bit of sweetener in my tea.

9. I have seen Barry Manilow in concert 4 times, Bette Midler 3 times, the Indigo Girls 3 times, and Barbra Streisand once. No, I am not a gay man.

10. My parents always wanted me to get straight A's in high school. I did not comply. However, when I returned to school at 44 years of age, I got my first (and only) straight A report card.

11. My sun sign is Virgo. My rising sign is Aries. My moon is also in Aries and Mercury is in Virgo. This means I am outgoing, impulsive, and critical. Who says astrology is a load of hooey???

12. The first album I owned was "Magical Mystery Tour" which I bought at the Bell Market grocery store.

13. Nearly every pair of shoes I own is black. Same goes for my dress pants.

14. I went to camp for two weeks each summer for 3 years. My best activities were archery and riflery.

15. Mickey was my favourite Monkee. I really didn't have a favourite Beatle until I was in my twenties and saw A Hard Days Night. Then I fell in love with John.

16. I am happy eating the same thing for breakfast and the same thing for lunch every single day.

17. I have lived in Canada for 9 years. I can't vote here, because I am not a citizen, but I have voted in every U.S. federal election since I was 18 years old.

18. My first car was an orange Honda CVCC. It was the size of a postage stamp. Seriously.

19. In 2001, I moved into a new home. That was the first time in my life I had ever painted a wall.

20. I love to cook. I rarely use recipes any more. And when I do use them, I rarely do everything the way the author does.

21. I can't tell you what my favourite movie or book is; there are just too many to choose from. However, my favourite musical is Sunday in the Park with George.

22. I find it nearly impossible to fall asleep in a seated position. Or when the television is on.

23. On February 17th, I will celebrate my 9th wedding anniversary. On March 24th, I will have been married to my current husband longer than I was married to my first husband.

24. I can usually identify, by name, an episode of ST:TOS within 1 minute of viewing.

25. Since my birth, the number of animals I have lived with is 11 cats, 8 dogs, two budgies, one hamster, one parrot and one rat.

Holy shit

Has it really been a month since my last post? I am sooooo sorry to the 4 or 5 people who probably regularly check this blog. I suck.

Summer has nearly come to an end. School has begun. We are still going up to the boat on weekends until the Canadian Thanksgiving. Then we start watching hockey, attending various municipal functions and whining about the weather. I haven't lost any weight; in fact, I gained some. Now that I am back at school, and once I get back into the exercise routine again, I expect I will regain my girlish figger.

I missed the Democratic convention, and made the mistake of watching the last few days of the Republican. I got very depressed. Honestly, I cannot understand that there are people who really think and believe the crap I heard coming from my television. "Country First"?? WTF???? That sounds like something I might hear if I travelled back in time to 1930s Germany. And, yes, I realize that I just lost the argument, but still...

We have harvested about 4 tomatoes and there are several still on the vine. They were very yummy and I am planning on putting in some real plants next year. The pumpkin vine has one grapefruit-sized pumpkin and a wee one just starting. Farming is fun!

Okay, I better leave some random thoughts for another day, or it might be another month before my next post. See you soon!

No, really. I promise.

Farmer Girl

I have tomatoes! They are small and green (the largest is slightly bigger than a golf ball), but there are eleven of them all told and I am thrilled!



And apparently, I also have another crop. Last summer we got a new porch, steps and walkway in front of our townhouse. Nearly all of my planting were destroyed, so, among other things, I planted a flowering spirea shrub next to the steps. Early this spring, I noticed another plant beginning to grow in that area. It looked like it might "be something" (gardeners will understand), so I let it grow.Perhaps, I thought, Grant put some wildflower seed there.

Fast forward to our two week holiday and then our return. I walked up the stairs, and suddenly, I knew exactly what that mystery plant was.



You see, way back in October, I had a small pumpkin sitting on my front porch. In time, said pumpkin began to collapse and I moved it to a patch of dirt next to my steps. Same patch of dirt where my spirea plant would eventually call home. Now, it shares it home with a giant pumpkin plant, already boasting several flowers.

I am reluctant to remove it. I hope it won't hurt the spirea, but even so, I can't resist the idea of growing pumpkins in my front yard! I will have to warn the neighbours, though.

Cheese please

I did it. I made something that actually resembles cheese with my own two hands. Yes, my kitchen looks like a bomb hit it. A cheese bomb. There are curds and whey everywhere; I will never recite "Little Miss Muffet" without having flashbacks. In fact, I have practically a gallon of whey, which I suspect is not quite the thing, and only a tiny bit of cheese. But it looks and tastes like mozzarella. And I learned a lot by just diving in and taking a stab at it. Next time, I predict more cheese and less mess.

Yay for me!

Me and my garden

One of the things Grant suggested I do over this weekend without him was to get some stuff for the garden. This is not to imply that he is lazy and doesn't want to help with the garden, but rather that, since we wouldn't be up at the boat this weekend, it would be a good time to put in some new plants.

One of the shrubberies we planted last fall didn't make it through the giant pile of snow that it lived under all winter long, so I had a bit of a hole in my front garden. I considered just digging up one of the hostas I have in the back yard, but I thought I would check the nursery for some inspiration first.

Inspiration did indeed strike, and I bought a rose for the front. It's a pretty floribunda called Little Darling. It is a yellow-peach-pink rose and it looks very healthy. I hope it will get enough sun to bloom well. In addition to the rose, I got a peony bush. It will go in the back. Once again, I hope it will get enough sun to bloom those fabulous fat blooms. I had never seen a peony before coming to Canada, now I love them.

I also picked up some alyssum, impatiens, dianthus and cosmos to fill in some of the gaps that the dying tulips left behind. I also got some herbs: oregano, basil and rosemary. And I bought 4 small tomato plants!!! All are now in pots and I am hopeful that I can keep them alive long enough to be able to eat them all up.

Now, I know enough as a gardening to know that in order for plants to do well, they need good soil. I also know that around my townhouse we have the crappy heavy clay soil on top and the hard-packed-god-only-knows-what's-down-there dirt from the construction. So I bought some good compost/manure to amend the soil in the areas I am planting. Which led to another problem--what exactly am I to do with all the lousy dirt I shovelled out to make room for the good stuff? It's a problem.

I think I will let Grant deal with it when he gets home.

No cookie for you!

I mean me. You have probably been a good girl or boy or whatever.

Has it really been over a week since I last posted? Gee, I guess I have absolutely no right to bitch and moan about the rest of you slackers who mock me with your non-posty-ness. Thank the stars above for bettika and Scalzi.

So, mainly the reason I haven't written is because there is nothing new or interesting to write about. The kitchen cabinets that aren't working are still not working, but we have a plan. Oh yes, we have a plan, but it involves a saw and all the dust that that implies. We are waiting for this weekend and keeping our fingers crossed that the weather is a spectacularly gorgeous as it has been for the last three days. Then, we are trimming the recalcitrant doors just a smidge (technical carpentry term, there) and putting them back up. They will work, because I simply cannot face any other option.

An XM ON Broadway aside: Mandy Patinkin really isn't well cast as Professor Harold Hill. I'm just sayin'.

Ah yes, the weather. Spring appears to have finally arrived. Nearly all the snow has melted, it is 6 pm and I can expect at least another hour before the sun sets, and a bird is singing its heart out just outside my OPEN window. It would be perfect bliss if I was only having a glass of wine, but I am off the booze for the next couple of weeks. Because my ass is approaching huge. Just in time for Spring. Sheesh.

So, a tiny bit of diet and a whole lot of exercise and significantly less alcohol. But in the not-so-distant future is boats, and swimsuits and tanned legs and arms and sun, sun, sun! It's all good.

And now, off to finish The Ghost Brigades. Not only does Scalzi entertain me while I am on the internets, he joins me in the bathtub. Or something. I wonder if Annika would be interested in joining me, too?

Cooking Mexicano Style

...in honour of my (nearly finished) Mexico-inspired kitchen. Last night I made a low-cal version of Chicken Mole, using chicken breasts with no skin, but still all the lovely chocolate-y chile-y goodness that is Mole. We didn't use to call it Hot Fudge Chicken for nothing!

That was a faux Mexican dish, but tonight, baby, Chile Verde! The real thing, made from scratch and currently bubbling away on my stove. Mmmmmmmmmm. Let's take a look, shall we?



Although it is relatively easy to make Chile Verde using various canned items, I usually prefer to do it all myself. That means roasting, peeling and de-seeding the chiles myself, chopping up the tomatoes and trimming my own pork. The only thing I didn't make from scratch was the chicken broth that all the good stuff is simmering in. Thank Campbell's for that.

I haven't been able to find Poblano chiles here in Canadia or Anaheim chiles, for that matter. The chiles I use are called Cubanos, who knows-- they may be Anaheims by another name, they certainly look similar. They do the job, though. These roasted up beautifully, thanks to my asador. What? you don't have an asador? You totally need to get one.



Just put this baby on your gas burner and char those peppers or tomatoes all to hell!

Okay, enough teasing. Here's what you really want to see, even if it is slightly unfinished.



In the above photo. the plant in the foreground cleverly conceals the one cabinet that doesn't currently have a door.



The microwave may not stay here, but both Grant and I like having more space around the sink.



Isn't it amazing how the tile totally matches the dishes in the open cupboard? A complete accident.

Anyway, even though it's not perfect...yet...we are pretty happy with our new kitchen.

Sigh

So far this long weekend has not started off well at all. Last night I did a pretty stupid thing; something I didn't really want to do, but did because I thought that someone I love wanted me to do it. Unfortunately, it turns out that that loved one didn't really want me to do what I did and my decision is pretty much the reason everything got fucked up royally. Nobody is really blaming me (there were other people involved---I did not act alone), but I feel terrible about how badly I misinterpreted the situation. Is that vague enough for you all? At any rate, I was a very unhappy camper last night. Yes, there were tears and tossing and turning. Sigh.

Secondly, I have been dying to give you all photos of our kitchen, but it's not quite finished. The counter top didn't arrive until this week (a full two weeks later than the woman at Rona initially promised me) plus our installer was extra busy this week (short week due to Good Friday) and although he has finished the counter, he only got about 2/3 of the tile done. Sigh.

Then there are the cabinet doors. Grant and I started putting them up today and there was... a problem. Back in the day when they were boring melamine white, the cabinet doors had a depth of 1/2 inch. Then we made them beautiful (just like my Do It Yourself book told us) by adding moulding on the edges, which made them about 1 inch.
But... when they go back up, they have to be reinstalled flush with the other doors. And now some of them will not open, because they are jammed right next to the other door and the hinge only has allowance for the original 1/2 inch. Sigh.

We hope that all we need are new hinges that can compensate for the change in depth. We really, really hope. If not, the options are very limited. The bitch of the whole thing is that the doors we could put up look amazing. The tile is looking gorgeous. The counter is perfect. But looks are not everything. Sigh.

Thirdly, my hip and back are giving me much pain. I worked out (carefully) with my trainer today, because I know that I need to stretch and strengthen, but now I am aching. The stress from all the other crap doesn't help. Sigh.

Grant and I really need to drink tonight. At least we have lots of wine.

And they're off!!

To Tucson until the 15th.

Goodbye, snow. Goodbye, giant blizzard approaching the GTA this afternoon.

Hello, sunshine!!!!

For Jenn

Because she's a hardware junkie!



And because my previous photo sucked donkey eggs.

Accomplished

All of my list but two. And one was not really my fault, because Grant decided to paint the frames of the cupboards. There was no way I was going to dig stuff out of cupboards that had just got paint on them! That will have to be a partial project to complete today. I also did not watch a movie. All we managed to watch yesterday was hockey and hockey-related news, which was okay, because while Grant listened to various guys discussing the pros and cons of the hockey trades, coaching changes and playoff prospects, I was busy reading Pioneer Woman's Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: A Love Story. I highly recommend the whole saga. I also didn't actually shovel the driveway, but it was clear when I got home, courtesy of the contractor who plows our road. So all good.

I also got the following done:

• Revised and finished the final design on the backsplash and created a complete kitchen model on the computer for the contracter. Here is a photo of the work in process:
  
  
  
  
• Attached the new hardware to the completed cabinet doors:
  
  
  
  
• Washed my gym clothes

Sorry, no photo of that! :-)

All in all, a very productive day!

Important stuff I got to do today

• Go to the gym
  
• File the bills
  
• Make bath salts
  
• Clean out the bottom cabinets
  
• Shovel the front of the house
  
• Play with the tile pattern for the backsplash
  
• Watch a movie
  
• Snuggle with my husband
  
• or perhaps....

Progress report

The kitchen is still cabinet door-less, now both top and bottom. The top cabinet doors took Grant almost exactly a week to complete, a lengthy process. He had to clean them, sand them, glue on the new trim, prime them-- twice, and then apply two coats of paint. The paint is oil-based, which takes at least 12 hours to dry so...lengthy. We took the lower ones down on Friday and Grant has them ready for the second prime coat. Which means, by this weekend the cabinets are done!

The counters will either arrive this week or next--hopefully this one. The woman I ordered them from had to call me back to check on the finishing edges we had ordered and we may have missed a window at the factory because of that delay. I am hoping this week. I ordered all the tile yesterday, except for the one colour I ordered on eBay (which arrived today!! Woot!!!!), so barring any unforeseen delays in the tiles coming in, we may be ready for the final steps early next week. I am getting really excited and more than a little nervous.

Have I mentioned how much my husband rocks? He works on my cabinet doors every single day; inhaling God-knows what kind of vapours from the paint and dust and whatnot. And they look absolutely fabulous!


Edited to add: Eeep!! The tile place just called and my tiles are in already!! Now all we need is counters and we are golden.

Kitchen: Stage 1

How the kitchen used to be:



Now, minus the upper cupboard doors:



Which are undergoing a face-lift in the basement:



Bonus photo of my backsplash design:

Designing a kitchen is HARD

But I think we have finally made all of the decisions. Woot!! Today, we ordered the new countertop. It is a Formica counter in Jasper Envision. The colour on the website is darker than the actual laminate, it is actually a very green green and goes perfectly with the tile.

We are using the tile as a backsplash. I have designed a pattern in diamond shapes using a single patterned tile surrounded by gold and terra cotta in a horizontal pattern. The top and bottom of the backsplash will be green tiles in halves. The remainder of the backsplash will be a creamy white. I think the design will really pop and the colours will tie together the colours in the living room and dining room.

The cabinets will also be a creamy white colour, with a moulding trim similar to what we did in the bathroom. We asked the guy at the tile place to give us a quote on some absolutely gorgeous cabinet doors in a shaker-style, which is our preferred look (and one we haven't been able to figure out how to do on our own), but I suspect the cost will be prohibitive. As it is, we are looking at less than $150 to trim and paint the cabinets, $650 for the countertop and about $200 for the tile. We are waiting for the guy who did our hardwood floors to give us a quote on installation, the other places have given us rough estimates of about $850 for installation of counters and tile. So, it looks like we can get a whole new kitchen for less than $2000. How cool is that?

Yet another snow day

I feel like I hit the lottery! It feels very odd to be home right now- it is not currently snowing and the roads I can see out my window look quite accessible. But there is a system on its way into town and my school district decided that discretion was the better part of valour. Still, looking outside, I keep feeling like it all was a mistake and I am going to get a call any minute saying "Where the heck are you??"

Until that time (hee), I am considering how to spend my day. Grant asked me to pull out our tax information, which is tremendously boring, but since he had to go to work today, it seems an advisable chore to keep my marriage a happy one. I also need to do some research on how to do my US tax return. I am thinking about trying to file on my own instead of using an accountant, but we will see. Paperwork is not my passion.

I think today would be a good day to make some more bath salts. I was not terribly happy with the batch of lavender I kept for myself the last time; I hope the lavender salts I sent out were a bit more scented. I need to look over my supplies and possibly make some new orders. Grant wants to make some shower gel using the essential oils, so I may need some more. We are still tweaking our recipes to try and improve our product.

I really should take advantage of the break in the weather and go to the gym. I worked out yesterday and was totally proud of myself for doing my upper body stuff on my own. My current workout plan is to meet with my trainer once a week, work out at least one other time on my own and take my Pilates class on Saturday morning. The check in with my trainer each week helps motivate me to go on my own. I really need that incentive, because left to myself, I would never work out. My attitude towards exercise is not one of love. Not too long ago, after listening to me moan and groan my way through an exercise, my trainer commented "There must be something you actually enjoy about your workout." I thought about it and replied, "Not really." She was astonished and a little sad, I think. But the truth is, I do enjoy some of the exercises, particularly the ones where I feel buff and strong (yes, biceps curls, I'm looking at you!), but there will never be a time I like any of the abs exercises!!

Anyway, if I am going, it should be soon. Then I think I will come home and watch The Devil Wears Prada. And see if Project Runway episode 10 is up on YouTube.

How we did it

Yeah, I really just wanted to see the before and after in the same post. But for those of you *cough*Amanda*cough* who might want to know a few more details about how this first vanity became the second vanity, here ya go!

As I mentioned earlier, the vanity is one of those melamine monstrosities that turn up in so many apartments and townhouses. The previous owners had stenciled them with the leaves you can see in the first picture. Not bad, but really not our style. We took off the doors and sanded them first. Then we cleaned them with TSP, which is very toxic, so be sure to use gloves! Then we sanded again with finer grade sandpaper. Once the doors were smooth and clean, we attached moulding to the edges (Well, I should say...Grant attached it!) Then we primed the doors using a alkyd primer. We did the same to the side of the vanity.


The first coat of the paint was a creamy white melamine paint by CIL called Baker's White. You can use any oil-based paint, but this paint was very easy to use. We put on two coats of the cream base. Then I mixed one part of CIL's Huron Grey (also melamine paint) with 3 parts of glaze. We applied this with a brush and then wiped it off with a rag. The wiping leaves colour in the cracks of the moulding and leaves a slight streak on the flat surfaces. I think if you only want the colour on the moulding you would just paint that. This is the simplest kind of a patina finish. You can also use a dry brush technique to apply the second colour- that gives more of the effect of the paint wearing away. Then we reattached the doors and added new hardware.

We are quite pleased with the transformation. Grant isn't one hundred percent sold on the patina finish-- he thinks it makes the cabinet look dirty and he hates that he worked so hard to make the moulding fit and the patina shows all the cracks! But I am happy with the patina look and I love the mouldings. We have decided that we can do something similar in the kitchen, which will be an ENORMOUS undertaking. Still, we think we can save at least $1000 by going this route, so it will be well worth it.

New Bathroom

Cupboards. Formerly plain white melamine, now sporting molding and a patina finish.


Silver framed mirror to match all the new brushed silver fixtures. We decided to leave the other cabinet the way it was, but it may change.


Old artwork, new place.


Another view, including the new faucet and toilet roll holder. Please note roll goes over (I made Grant change it!)