Update on Renovation

Well, again at a standstill. The project just gets deeper and deeper the more we deconstruct. Found out the the "little" leak has been a bit more progressive than the bathroom area, it has made it's way down the walls and ceiling in the living area. The mold is behind the paint on the drywall and pushing the tape on the mud off and will need to be replaced. Love the $$$$ as it flies out the window. Will have to replace the ceiling there too, which was kind of in the plan but not necessary new drywall. I'm laughing all the way to the bank. Found some staining under the tile and concrete in the bathroom, but it is dry and no longer wet, praise God for this one. After much debate and not getting the help that was to come this past weekend, we are hiring a pro to hang the drywall. After the mud and taping is done, the rest of the project will be gravy. Sabrina and I have yet to agree on a color for the walls, the tile is picked out and I have an idea on the vanity, so will have to see who wins this one. I did give her carte blanche on the project so will have to stand by my word but will try and influence her as much as I can. I am posting the last "disaster" pictures, which has since been cleaned up a bit, but still has alot of tools and stuff lingering in the halls and spare room. As usual, I am laughing and just shaking my head at the mess and see the bigger picture completed in another few weeks. Off to study for the exam. Only about a month to go and will move onto other projects. Got to book my flight to England for July, and found a price under $950. Au Voir.

Renovation Part III

Well, it's been awhile since I posted, too busy to fill you all in on the particulars, but in a nut shell, it looks like a bomb blow up our little (now big) bathroom project. Will post the pictures at a later date, all locked up into my phone camera right now. After deconstructing the old drywall, we discovered there was no insulation between the walls to the adjoining bathroom, so that is going up. Next, we discovered that before we could place the new paperless drywall, mold free, we had to take up the old tile, thus the bomb. Was there glue under the old tile, well heck NO, there was cement. At least there was tar paper between the cement and the planking. So Sabrina gets out the axe and starts pounding out the tile and cement, which stills lies on the floor. Will take at least 6 bags of crushed cement and dust to empty the room. It looks small in there now, so once that is out, the entire bathroom has been gutted and everything in there will be new except for the plumbing and electric and the original bathtub. We will have to see if anything else needs replacing then. Sabrina got an offer to have a friend of ours come to help put up the new drywall this weekend and took the offer. We did have an estimate for the job, at the cost of $850 which we kindly rejected. Just to hang walls and mud was a bit more than we thought was a fair price. Once we clear the rubble and lay new cement board on the floors go down throughout the room, the walls can go up and the reconstructing begins. Looks like this weekend this it will happen.

At this time, still no electric to any of the bathrooms and the hot tub lies quiet as well, which I miss terribly. Even if it was hooked up, I have been working so much overtime, I don't have much time to relax and enjoy it. Still studying daily for the CRNI exam, which I will be taking on the 25th of March. Pushing for a 90 overall but will just be glad to pass. Good review and lots of memorizing special points, not my strength, but getting wiser daily. I have lots of other events coming up as well before then so pacing myself is more important every day. The first weekend in March I am off to Charlotte to see Elton John and Billy Joel in concert. A first for me, since my last concert was in high school days. I remember the days when I saw Bobby Sherman live when I was a teen, and screaming like some insane youngster till I couldn't talk a word. Now I know I am dating myself when I speak of Bobby Sherman, but he was hot back then, so I thought as a young girl.

Between all of the excitement of the house, I have been busy working my business, showing business plans and planning skin clinics and getting new customers on my wonderful products. On the road again brings new meaning to the phrase. Racking up the miles on my 95 Explorer, good ole Betty has been good to me, I am enjoying the quiet and reflective time and jamming to the music to stay awake. Now I potentially have another side line of work doing consulting and educating in my nursing line of work. So overall, things are busy and often times only time to sleep once I finally get home. Trying to make sure I am not up past 1 am, as at this pace, I would crash without enough sleep.

Sabrina got her preceptorship for school, a job offer and her internship for her credentially all in one week. She is doing famously, straight A's in school, almost a 4.0 average and dating new people. Might find Mr Right in one of them. She is learning to pace herself as well, and doing well, helping me with meals and shopping for food in the spare time she has. The VA issue and the truck issue is almost resolved, still waiting for the final settlements to work themselves out.
Sabrina, Andrea and Kevin meet next month for a ski vacation in Germany, poor me gets to sit this one out but know they will have a great time and all the rest and relaxation.

Well, that's it for now. Will get the pictures up this weekend on the renovation and an update as I have time. Bless you all. Till we meet again. Au Voir.

The Renovation - Part II

Sabrina will start on the bathroom again today, she says, and despite my advise not to replace the drywall, she is going to anyways. "I can always call Dwane to come and help me" is her answer. I have not freaked out thus far, so I just take deep breaths and sigh and roll with the it. I will be glad to see the conglomeration of work tools and equipment leave the hallway, as I almost broke my neck on the cords last night. One has to have a mental image of where all the junk lies when getting out of bed to travel to another room on the second floor. Sabrina hollered up last night after I tripped and almost landed on my face after tripping on the cord for the paint machine. Why is there is a paint machine up there now you might ask? Sabrina used it to spray water on the ceiling for removing the popcorn ceiling. It worked like a charm after she figured out how to use the machine, thanks to the Internet instructions she found online after cursing the machine for 2 days. Anyways, it will be there for heaven knows how long, as we will roll on paint once the new walls are up.

I am not liking the fact that I have to work again today, have an inservice to present to the case managers at CFVMC on enteral pumps, drumming up more business, as there is never enough to do already! I still have my regular work to do as well. Not to mention that my boss is having her Gallbladder yank today and now one less person in the office and I am on call this weekend which is ALWAYS hectic when I am on call. Another TPN teach and one can only imagine what else there is to do. I am trying to fit the studying for my exam into the already jammed schedule and hate memorizing the Chemo drug reactions, they all make you sick!

Enough complaining. I am grateful to work with a great group of folks and blessed that Sabrina has cooked 2 meals for me this week and cleaned up the mess as well. She make some kick butt cupcakes for the office which didn't see the end of day before all were consumed and we were rubbing our bellies. JCAHO is coming and I am it, they will be riding with me for the day. Not worried, as I have been through so many in the past, it should be a breeze. Just got to find more time to crack the books and stay awake at night to flip the pages of the masses of manuals I have to study from. Everyone pray I make my 85% mark I am shooting for.

Well, here ends another chapter of my thoughts today, got to make some fresh coffee, already drank the leftovers from 2 days ago. Need the caffeine to pump through the veins to wake up. Arivaderchi! Not sure on that spelling folks!

Smooth Ceiling

OK, we have have passed the messy stage now, Sabrina came through on Saturday and Sunday to take down the popcorn ceiling, easier than first expected and down in no time. She didn't have to wet it as much as first anticipated. The mess is gone and now we have semi-smooth walls and ceiling. I sigh with relief to be past this first demolition stage. The dust of white still lingers in the room and the on the rugs and walls of the hallway, but hey, who said renovations was clean. A little dust never hurt anyone. Sabrina looked like she poured baby powder all over herself that day and made me remember the day Andrea and her kissing cousin actually did that when they were 2 yrs old. A classic picture, all you see was the dark of Andrea's eyes. And here stands Sabrina, quite a few years older with the same look.

Not sure we we go from here. A bit of leftover paper still lies on the wall behind the toilet and vanity, which are next to come out. That should be fun. Andrea picked out a vanity for me, and funny, it was on the cover of Lowe's this week in the circular, so I am going to check it out. It matches the new bedroom furniture I want too, too bad this bathroom is not the master's bath, but maybe we can get one to fit once we tackle that bath. I believe a house is a forever transition of upgrades, one never seems to finish.

Not sure why I find it necessary to do my posting so early in the morning. I got up at 2:30 am for some unknown reason and should be sleeping, tomorrow is going to be another crazy day. I find I am more focused at this time in the morning, however, so maybe this is the reason I feel the need to tap away on the keyboard. Remember the days of the typewriter! OK, I know a lot of you are saying no, but I am glad technology has brought us to this point.

Well, got to get some more sleep, at least another 2 hours, so will close. Here are a couple of pics of the smooth ceiling and Sabrina the ghost. Enjoy. Will be sipping on coffee here in a few more hours. Chow.

A Stand-Still

I sit here amongst the clutter and disarray and wonder when will the project get finished. The house used to be picked up and clutter free. I am not complaining, as reality is that construction always brings messes and headaches, but I want my house back. Sabrina is running out of steam, she likes to get things started, like her father, but not always a great finisher. Andrea and I are the finishers. I just need to have it done by April when the folks get here. So I sit here patiently waiting to see when the next move comes and breath easy, so as not to drive myself crazy with the endless possibilities. I have added some new posts to the now "Stand-Still" phase of the renovation. Not much else to comment on here, I have so many things to attend to, one does not know where to begin. I think I'll start by dipping into the hot tub to soak the woos away and then do the workout and read and relax. Stay tuned for the next installment. Enjoy the Superbowl, or at least the parties that come with the game. Chow

The Renovation - Part I

Well, I guess I asked for it. The bathroom is tore up and believe it or not, I am not stressing over the mess, YET. I have give Sabrina Cart-Blanche in doing her old bathroom over, not realizing that the drywall may be coming down and new, mold free drywall will be installed. They just don't make houses of the days of old so I will do it right, since I will most likely live in here through my retirement years. At the request of my daughter Andrea, I will post some regular pictures of the transformation regularly, as it is much easier now with electronic devices to snap and upload quickly. For my sanity, I am only working on a single project at a time. Will need to finish the bathroom before my parents come to stay for 3 weeks in April this year. Should have the new colors on the wall and the new vanity and fixtures in as well as hooking the already purchased and installed energy efficient toilet back up. The most dreaded task is recaulking it all, as it is messy and takes a bit to dry completely. Have to go shopping for new fixtures and vanity yet, still trying to decide on the right color, then there is the task of choosing a theme and purchasing new towels and the like. Something simple really is never that, so much thought and planning to consider.

Sabrina has the "installing drywall" instructions from the Internet open on my computer and I guess this will really happen soon, hopefully this weekend, in order that I might be able to start coloring the rest of the room. I never really considered fixtures until just now, but am going toward the brushed nickel look, clean and easy to upkeep as well as being a classic look. I am getting more traditional in my interior design selection, a change from my current contemporary look. I believe age has a way of doing that, becoming more classical and rich looking. The south sure has that appeal here. And the patients whom I visit weekly have provided me with many different varieties of decor and color as well as style.

Had to take a break here to get that first sip of coffee, ah, the delicacy of good coffee. Sorry to get off track here, but need my java in the morning. So wonderful doing the slow raising and welcoming a new day. Will have to stretch and work out next then do my reading.

Back to the house. As noted in Andrea's blog, the house was built in 1985 and has all the original workings except for the new roof, windows and A/C units/heat pumps. All energy efficient, which is evident in the monthly savings on the electric bill. Solar would have nice but the technology has not really been affordable as yet. Upon purchase of our home in 1991, we immediately installed an in ground pool, which has been upgraded with new liner and cover, a must when you live in the humidity here and have small children. During latter years of my children's youth, the pool sat empty and neglected, as they were too busy with boys, school, athletics to name a few, but has recently become the popular hot spot for the neighbors and me. I used that pool almost daily this past summer and plan the same this year. Nothing better than to feel the water on your bare skin during the humid nights. A hot tub has been added to the enclosed deck which also gets a lot of activity year round. It is especially nice when it is freezing cold outside and the steam is all about you and the sun is rising. A new fresh coat of paint sits on the exterior of the house. Kevin has been faithful to maintain this over the years. Gutters will need to be upgraded at some point, but no hurry on that as yet. I believe one could upgrade just about everything if having an endless checkbook. I am looking at the time and realize I must turn attention to other tasks, so I will close on this installment of the renovations. Look for updates soon to come. Have a blessed day, one and all.

The Dawn of a New Day

Here is sit, in the wee hours of the morning, wide awake and feeling like I need to write. Hit the sack early, guess the events of the weekend and company wore me out more than I realized. Got a clean bill of health from the doctor yesterday, gallbladder is staying put for awhile, fine by me. Didn't relish the thought of surgery anytime soon. Getting used to having someone else in the house again. A bit of chaos with Sabrina's things all about and the upstairs bathroom in turmoil. But the end result will be well worth it.

I sit here with my XS drink in hand, enjoying the sassafras root beer drink tickle my tongue. I really don't need the extra kick at this time of the morning, but what the heck, it sure tastes good. Almost considering a dive in the hot tub to feel the warm water but then I may never get back to bed. Will most likely hit the books to study before trying sleep again later.

Will try and post a bit a humor today since Andrea feels my first post was a bit serious but that is my personality. I can be all business one minute and then my sanguine side kicks in. The new item of events happened this weekend when the old frig decided it was time to quit. I didn't even realize this until my company made comments on the melting ice cubes. Lucky, we didn't have too much food in the old frig to worry about, the cold weather sufficed to provide the exact temperature to keep the goods cold until the new one arrived yesterday morning. More room that I imagined and it just fit, and I mean just. No longer can I prop the ironing board alongside the frig, it has now found a new home in the hall closet, less clutter I guess. But what do I do with the junk that used to live on top of the old frig. The dining room now looks like a college dorm room with junk piled high on the table with Sabrina's stuff and the leftovers from the items that used to inhabit the old frig space. Too lazy now to locate a new home for these often used items. Maybe this weekend we will find them a new place to live.

The frig has all the amenities one needs except for an egg tray. Never realized it was not there when I looked at it in the store, got it at Lowe's for a bargain price, nice stainless steel and glass racks inside with the french doors on top and double rack for the bottom freezer. All the frozen items still find themselves in the chest freezer, as we have not moved them to their new home as yet. The ice maker is a added plus on the outside of the door and takes up very little space on the inside for my everyday items. The veggie and fruit bins are huge and temp controlled, something I am not used to and now I am energy efficient. The whole house is being transformed to low energy needs to save $$$$ in electric. Got to save those pennies for retirement one day.

The old frig lies in the garage with yet more stuff from Sabrina's apartment, one could live out there now comfortably now, all the necessities except a couch. I was not planning on being transformed into a storage unit. Motorcycle and my items are at least accessible to get at thanks to Audra, who was gracious enough to reorganize the mess. At least we can walk around in there now.

The issue with the cars is another matter. No word yet as to the final fate of the S-10 truck that sits in Florence, SC in some guys front yard with Sabrina's high tech gas grill. For those of you unfamiliar with the events of the move from New Orleans to NC, please refer to posts by Sabrina on her blog "Another Chapter". The insurance company has yet to evaluate the damage caused by the U-Haul company to determine a total loss or need for only a new transmission. Either way, the truck has seen it's destiny and a buyer has already been found to handle the transaction. Sabrina meanwhile, is using the GG to get around. The Explorer now with over 190,000 miles is going strong, but in need of new tires. Got at least 70,000 miles on the currnt tires since getting them in RI and will not need snow tires this time. The Ford Ranger has a gas seal leak but as long as it is not full to the top, no gas leaks, so we will leave it alone. I could write a book just on car experiences I have had since my first days of driving. May do a humorous book one day just on that topic alone, I could write volumes. Car wash disasters, rolling down hills, engines catching on fire to name a few. This will be another post I am afraid.

The hum of the air filtration system is peaceful and I cherish the solitude it provides during these early hours of morning. I have a zillion things to do but love to just enjoy the quiet and reflect on the upcoming day. I am missing Kevin and our times to just sit and chat and reminisce together and plan our future together. It will not be long before we are reunited in Europe traveling the rail together to some unseen territories again. Europe has so much to offer in its history and ombience. This is truly living life at the fullest to watch the lights of the Vatican while sipping on cappichino and watching the locals gather on the street cafes at 2 am. Such memories of past I wish to relive in my mind.

As Andrea would put it, just another random thought and post, one of many to come. I am trying to post another lighter side of my life here, just for you Andi. Right now I am more reflective and enjoying the XS and root beer flavor singing on my tongue. Will go and study for a bit before retiring for a quick nap to start the "Dawn of a New Day". Peace.