A Week in the Bathroom

No, we weren't sick! It took us a week of good work to renew our master bathroom. We were tired of the wallpaper and bland look, and the room just needed attention. Here is a before picture -- the blinds are already down.











As with any home project, there are curve balls. We found that the previous owners had painted over one of the several layers of borders that topped the wall paper. We tired several methods but the most effective was water and elbow grease.

We also found some wall repairs under the paper -- probably why there was wallpaper in the first place. I got out my trowels and joint compound, and also used a new spray-on texture product to try and match the original. It worked well, but it took me longer to tape and mask than it did to spray the texture! I did primer the wallboard first, then spray the texture, and then I primed again. Time consuming but worth the effort...













We used to have a six foot mirror above the sinks. I paid a couple of yard workers in the neighborhood $5 each to help me take the mirror down and bring it to the garage. This also shows a repaired wall after the texture / priming.

We chose an ivory for the ceiling and three of the walls. We didn't realize how much gray was in the original paint. By the way, I used my 8 ft step ladder and the extention ladder to reach the ceiling and cut in the walls. That's not easy in a small room, working around the tub and the other fixtures!

The room is almost completed. We put in new lights and sink fixtures. Two mirrors are on order.












Here is the wall opposite the sinks. Another rod will go above and to the outside of the tub tile to hold the quilt top that Gayle is finishing. This was a good week's work. Next on the to-do list is our bedroom...

The Empty Suitcase -- We're Home!

We were grateful to be able to swing up to Michigan last Monday. We went to the funeral of Gayle's dear Uncle Elmer Monday afternoon. Elmer Meiste was a saintly 81 and God called him home as he slept. He will be missed!
Last Tuesday morning we visited Mom & Art one more time. Mom took us to see Aunt Bea also. We were glad to have this unanticipated short visit also. After leaving Jenison we headed southeast toward Maryland. We planned on staying overnight in the Pittsburgh area, but had not factored in the US Open golf tournament. We ended up traveling another hour to Somerset in central PA and stayed there overnight. We went to Gettysburg and spent about 3 hours at the Civil War battlefield memorial...could have spent much more time there! I took many pictures, with one eye on my 5th grade social studies curriculum. It's a challenge to make an historical event more than 140 years old become real to 10 year olds.

Got in to Berwyn Heights, MD late afternoon on Wednesday and enjoyed 4 days with the kids and grandkids. Luke is still enjoying books, trucks, his little pool in the backyard, and an occasional roughhouse with Grandpa. Erin has grown dramatically since we saw her in April. She likes to sit up, holds her head up well, and even stands while we hold her. She is beginning to coo and is a happy little girl. We were delighted to witness Erin's baptism Sunday morning. Dr. Clark did an excellent job and Erin was bright-eyed and alert the whole time. While he talked about God's promises, Dr. Clark held her and walked around the congregation. Luke walked with them!

We left for home Monday morning; I-95 was actually rather kind this time. No problems, traffic moved well, and we got to Savannah, GA Monday evening. We arrived home around noon Tuesday. The Camry ran well, got around 33 mpg for the trip, and traveled 5150 miles in 23 days. We thank God for His providence and care!

Some more pictures for your enjoyment...

Life in a Suitcase - Work & Play

So, we traveled 1,100 miles, driving two cars, to get to Emily in Lansing, IL on the way to Grand Rapids, MI to move Bob to Denver. We rented a small U-Haul truck and towing dolly, loaded the truck and cars with Bob's earthly possessions, and drove west for two days and another 1,100 miles to Denver / Aurora, CO. We unloaded Bob's stuff at sister Beth's house and helped him get settled. We spent some time cleaning three cars (thank you, Florida love bugs!), finding some book cases and other storage shelving for Bob, and helping Beth with a back yard planting project.

This past Monday we traveled 1,100 miles back to Lansing, IL in two days and have spent the balance of this week with Emily. Tuesday evening we heard a concert at Millenium Park in downtown Chicago with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Yo Yo Ma. It was a cool concert in every sense of the word! The breeze was quite cool, Gayle had gloves on, and the concert was outstanding. We had great fun afterwards looking at the Cloud Gate sculpture - sort of looks like a shiny bean.

On Weds / Thurs / Fri we transformed Emily's living room and kitchen. We pulled out the old carpet, underlayment, and linoleum and put down wood flooring. It was hard work, our legs were sore, but the results were great! The rooms look larger and the beautiful oak planks compliment her kitchen cabinets and decor.

We took a break on Saturday and went to Chicago again for the day. We took the Metra train in to Millenium Station (the old Randolph Street) and walked to Navy Pier, where we had our lunch in front of a fountain. We then took an hour long architectural boat tour down the Chicago River - an excellent and informative guide gave us a truly impressive amount of information on the history of Chicago and its buildings. We also walked the length of Navy Pier and enjoyed the sights from the ferris wheel. Emily had made dinner reservations at a Thai restaurant, which we thoroughly enjoyed - four appetizers, two main courses, and two desserts. Finally, a leisurely walk to the train station and the trip home. Great day! Yep, we got a lot of sun...