Goodbye Scary Bathroom : Part 7

Thanks to Dan, the bathroom is coming along nicely.. We removed the old sink yesterday and the walls will be sanded and primed today.. When I called my mom the other day to tell her happy birthday, she said not to worry if I didn't have it finished before next week. I told Dan what she'd said, and he promised, "It will be done"..

Taking a Chance..

Two weeks ago, as we sat outside the day center talking after lunch, it's hard to say which broke my heart more. He told me of how he'd had to put his dog down the week before because her kidneys had failed, something I understood since that's what had happened to Peaches so many years ago. And I couldn't imagine losing Alex, who I've become so co-dependant on over the years.. Then he told me of how he'd come to have the bruise the was fading around his blackened eye..

I couldn't help myself from stating the obvious. I pleaded with him, "You HAVE to get away from him.." He tried to smile as his eyes started to tear up. "Where would I go?", was his response..

Since I knew that they'd not really been living anywhere, spending time with random friends, or sleeping in his car, or most recently they've been living in a tent in someone's backyard I couldn't understand how leaving would be any worse.. But I knew what he was going through, having spent a few years in a horribly miserable relationship myself, and knowing how it was to feel helpless to find a way to escape from someone. I couldn't possibly stand by and let this continue..

So as of yesterday I have a new roommate.. His name is Dan, and he's fabulous..

Goodbye Scary Bathroom : Part 6

Perhaps the color is a bit darker than I would have thought ideal (and not as red as this picture makes it look), but I had to try to minimize the decades old water stain around the toilet.. Still, I think it will look nice once the sealant coat is applied, the painting is complete ("willow tree" with "prairie dust" and "heavy cream" trim), the new cabinets are in, and the new bronze finished lights are installed (there wasn't an online picture of the vanity bar so I took one of the box).. Hopefully I don't run out of time.....

Goodbye Scary Bathroom : Part 5

Well, I here I am. Taking a break from the mess that is my bathroom.. As you can see it looks like a volcano erupted in there with all the dust that the sander has caused.. It's pretty bad when I have to sweep the walls.. (Note; this is one day's worth of dust! I have been cleaning it up everyday, or the dust would easily be over 1/4 inch thick..)

But I'm happy to say that almost all of the sanding is now complete.. I just have a few spots around the edges to touch up.. However, there is more water damage than I had hoped around the toilet, so I may have to put a small accent area of slate around that, but that will have to wait until I'm ready to put the slate up in the shower.. (sometime next year at this rate)

Today, after a lot of mess and two trips to the local hardware store, I have the new toilet in place..

A plumber, I could never be.. It's too foul for me.. And now (feeling like big time white trash with my old toilet scattered in the back yard so it can dry before I smash it for the trash can), I really need to go take a LONG shower..

Goodbye Scary Bathroom : Part 4

Two hours of sitting on the bathroom floor with my new best friend (the heavy duty belt sander I decided to buy yesterday), and it almost looks like I'm making progress.. Another 3-4 hours and I just might be done stripping the floor.. 

Goodbye Scary Bathroom : Part 3

Ok, the floor is all ripped up and there is stripper down on a test area to see if I can just clean it up and stain it.. Time for a beer...

Three weeks until visitors arrive.. Wish me luck...

Goodbye Scary Bathroom : Part 2

Can you say BIG FREAKIN MESS?? Well, I got the cabinet ripped out and most of the floor out. But I had to stop pulling up the floor because I ran out of room in my garbage can (it sucks not having a pickup).. Today is garbage day and by the time I get back from the day center I should be able to finish the destruction..

Goodbye Scary Bathroom : Part 1

For those who've not yet been subjected to pictures of my bathroom's current state, I apologize.. Not that you haven't seen them, but that you are now being subjected..

When De and I first moved into the house, the bathroom was a horror.. Yes, even worse than it is now.. The walls were this fleshy color, the built-in was pink, and the wall behind the built in cabinet was covered with rose wallpaper.. Really old wallpaper that was the consistency of a paper bag and awful to remove.. The toilet was an off white color that I "painted" with this enamel stuff so it would be white.. The sink was pitted and scratched so I "painted it as well.. There was no medicine cabinet, just a hole in the wall.. No shower, just the bathtub.. And the floor was a horrid vinyl that I will take a picture of once I start to rip up the floor tomorrow..

Being as how the walls in the rest of the house were either robin egg blue, white, or some ugly color that I can't think of a name for, we decided the house needed some color.. Or rather she decided, and I was still driving long haul so she was making the decisions.. She was also working a new job at Block Buster and didn't have a lot of time to spend fixing up the house.. The vinyl had to be covered before we moved in (so the floor would be in an acceptable state for the loan) so she bought this peel and stick stuff that was actually decent for the price.. But she couldn't get the peel and stick baseboard to stick, so she got a bunch of screws and used the drill to attach it.. NO JOKE.. Because the floor was black, we thought we needed to keep with the dark colors. We set to work with blue and purple paint, sponging the purple over the blue and striping the ceiling.. I knew as soon as it was done, I didn't like it.. But it was at least better than it was.

Today the destruction of the scary bathroom was to begin. Step one, get rid of a lot of the crap that accumulates in the drawers and empty what's left..

Then empty and remove the medicine cabinet..

I have to say, there is one thing that I will be sad to see go.. Not that I've ever used it, because my washer and dryer are not in that spot of the basement, but I always thought it was cool that there was a laundry chute in the bottom drawer..

Now, it's time to grab the handy electric screw driver and get the baseboards removed.. I'd like to get the built-in out, but being as it's midnight, my neighbors may not appreciate it if I set to work with the sledge hammer (that's the only way I can think of to get it out, and it might be fun)..

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Update..

I couldn't resist.. I was down on the floor unscrewing the baseboards and just had to start peeling back the floor.. To my horror there was two layers under it. The ugly brick looking stuff that was visible when I moved in, and this very damaged retro laminate under that..

But.. Then I grabbed a screw driver and started to pry that up... And....

Tomorrow I will head over to Lowes and buy some really good glue remover. If the wood is in good enough shape (as it appears to be) why cover it with slate?.. I'll just use the slate to tile the bathtub area, as I had already planned, but now I won't have to buy any more.. Hmmmm.. I wonder what shape the wood is in the kitchen..

Gone Fishin..

Being as I got home from work at 3 AM and finally got to sleep shortly before 5, the last thing I wanted to do was get up when my phone's alarm went off at 8:30.. But when a 11 year old kid who's spent the last two years in foster care wants you to take her fishing, what can you do??

Now, sunburned and slightly more than exhausted, I'm thinking it may be a very long night at work... But it was a really nice day...

Relaxing, digging, flying a kite..

Yesterday the Day Center borrowed two mini church busses and set off for a grand adventure to the coast. The destination was Seaside, a tourist trap that can be a bit crowded, but the weather was absolutely perfect. And a great time was had by all.



I'd gotten home from work late and so didn't get any sleep, but I'd volunteered to drive my auto so I could take Alex and one of the staffer's dogs. Alex may have been less than thrilled to share her space while we were driving, but she and Carlos had a lot of fun playing together on the beach..


There was a lot of digging (something that is highly frowned upon when it's in the back yard, yet encouraged at the beach and in the snow)..

And I got to fly my kite. Sorry, there are no pictures of it actually up in the air. Flying a kite with two strings while taking a picture proved simply impossible.. Or at least, too difficult for me...

The rest of the weekend will be filled with chore after chore, but one has find time to get out and relax when one has the chance..

Of course, Alex gets to spend today sleeping after her long, busy day.. Next time, I wanna be the dog...

Happy Birthday to...

Today is a special day!.. Today I got to put a hat on Alex (sheer torture, if you ask her) and made her pose for a picture. Later, we'll go to Dairy Queen for the annual birthday ice cream cone. There are plenty of "Happy Birthday!"s and oodles of hugs (almost as torturous as the hat) for my favorite kid as we celebrate her 6th birthday..

Even better, tonight I get to call my brother and wish him a happy birthday. And more importantly, remind him that I love him.. I really do, and I'm so lucky to have him for a brother..

--To be continued....