Splish-splash I was(n't) takin' a bath...

Yep, that's what we are around here.  You can read a bit about the whole story here, but it goes something like this...

Eric bought our house with a remodeled bathroom.  It is LOVELY, but we've known it needed some work to fix the shoddy job done by the first DIYer who lived here (the same bright-idea-haver that filled in our pool with dirt and let two palm trees grow inside. What a winner).

On a seemingly unrelated note, Arizonans occasionally get bouts of termite activity.  It's totally normal and expected.  Those little underground wood-lovers can't get enough of our dry soil, so you have a termite guy on hand for those occasions.  We started noticing increased activity in the past few months and got worried.  We called some people in, and paid quite a bit to have the house completely treated and with a warranty to boot.  Yeehaw!  Love me some warranties!

Enter the kitchen island a month later with it's wood boring insects (read more here) that I was certain were termites, and you have a pretty pissed-off me.  I thought the termites were falling from our ceiling onto the island and I was not a happy camper.  Especially sine this company guarantees their work, but doesn't cover furniture damage.  The owner of the pest company came out to take a look and he was the one who knew the island had come from IKEA with the bugs in tow and told us to take it back and exchange it for a bug-less one (which we did).  He checked over the inside of our home while he was there...  *cue foreboding music*

He enters our bathroom, pops off the tub acces panel and sees a practical SWARM of termites coming up from a HUGE hole in our foundation.  Awesome.  Way to go Mr. Crappy Remodeler Guy (this title reminds me of the Real Men of Genius ads, haha!).  The termites have been coming up through this hole for years.  Solution? Remove the bathtub (!?!? Be still my heart!!), treat the area, and hope to eventually put the tub back in.

The good news is that the damage from the termites is not severe and very localized.  We are so LUKCY!!  The bad news is that the bathroom is snowballing into a HEFTY project with an equally HEFTY price tag.  So, for step number one, we spent our weekend removing our tub.  And because I knew all of you would be dying to see (winkwink), I took tons of pictures.

Here's what our bathroom looks like when you walk in...

(forgive the counter clutter, we live here, people.)


I L-O-V-E love our cabinets, mirrors and couter tops. It's hard to tell in the photos (since there's no natural light in here), but everything is either glass, chrome or white white white.  I love how clean and sparkly it looks.

Here's what the tub area looks like (directly to the left when you walk in the door).  You can see the access panel is already popped off...

I luuuuurrrvvee  my soaking tub.  I mean, the tub has been out for two days and I've almost cried twice because I wanted to take a bath that much.  THAT is how much it LOVE my tub.

To the right of the tub is the shower...

Yep, washcloth hanging over the top and all - I like to keep it real (and for the record, I also hate loofas.  Are there any other washcloth loyalists/loofa haters out there?  I keep it old school, I guess).  The shower is a little small...  Sometimes I feel like I could just soap down the walls and spin around and be all clean.  But you take what you can get =)

Here's the view from standing between the tub and shower...

It's a pretty spacious bathroom for a 40 year old home - hallelujah.  I HATE small bathrooms.  I also love our toto toilet with a no slam toilet seat and lid.  Seriously, I love that toilet like people shouldn't love a toilet.  It's easy to clean, and looks amazing.  I'm considering taking it with us when we move out.

We've known the bathroom has issues before this.  Like the tiles behind the shower and tub in the above pics were laid too close to one another, so the grout comes out when you so much as wipe it down with a SPONGE (talk about a cleaning NIGHTMARE).  Case in point...

So, we knew we would eventually need to re-tile.

Then we started noticing the caulking around the shower base slipping away from the wall.  Then, water started leaking out from the wall whenever we would shower.  Cue my nightmares about Eric and I both dying of cancer that we acquired from black mold in our walls (we DO NOT have mold, but my imagination tends to run away with me - especially in my dreams).  What we do have is water coming out of our wall because of an improperly-leveled shower pan. Thanks again Mr. Crappy Remodeler Guy!  Case in point...

See that wet grout?  The water has only been on for 5 minutes. UGH!  Eric's solution was "We'll buy ourselves some time and shower together."  Haha!  I don't think so mister, that thing is only big enough for one.

So when the termite guy gave us MORE bad bathroom news, the writing was on the wall.  So, we began taking out the tub this weekend....  First we (Eric) scored the caulking all around where the tub is mounted to its box...

We (Eric) sealed off the water lines to the tub and moved the fixtures (my beautiful chrome fixtures!!) out of the way.  Since every fiberglass tub that is not freestanding has to be set with grout on the bottom, we (Eric and his dad) lifted up the tub and tried to knock the grout off the bottom from the access panel so it would be lighter to lift.  Meanwhile it sat propped up on pvc pipes like so...

When the grout had dislodged itself from the bottom of the fiberglass, we (this time I actually helped and didn't just stand around in the way while snapping pictures) just lifted the whole thing right out and carried it to the backyard (we would look like HICKS if all you knew of us was our backyard, haha!).  Leaving behind this GAPING hole...

You can see the grout that was attached to the bottom of the tub leaning up against the left side of the tub box.  Fortunately, it looks like the drywalling and framing was done according to code.  I was FREAKED out that the drywall would be just the normal stuff and not the moisture resistant stuff, so you can imagine my relief when I saw that green paper!  (Green-papered drywall = drywall for bathrooms/kitchens/anywhere moist)

Wanna see a bigger-than-life hole in someone's foundation and Mr. Crappy Remodeler Guy's solution? Welp, here ya go...

See that friggin L-shaped BEAST of a hole?  Grrrrrrr grumbleandcursetheformerownerofyourhome.  And do you see his "aweomse" solution to said problem (<-DRIPPING with sarcasm).  Landscape rocks.  Yep...

You can see some of the termite tubes in the top left of the above pic.  Tears!  So, we are tub-less.  And in an ideal world, this will happen...

Termite man will come today between 8 and noon and tell us that we can treat and patch the foundation easily and inexpensively, and that the patch will work so amazingly that we'll never need access to said area again.  We will then be able to re-use our old tub, and all we'll have to do is rip out the shower, level the pan, double check the plumbing and moisture situation, re-tile and use the same old (tiny!!!) shower insert again. This will cost us somewhere in the range of $300-$1000 depending on how well the shower holds up upon removal.  We will of course do EVERYTHING (except plumbing) ourselves.  Because unlike Mr. Crappy Remodeler Guy we know what we're doing with tile and shower pans.

But.... it could turn into this mess...  Mr. Termite man says we can patch the hole, but we may need access to it again in the future for further treatment, meaning we would need to either buy a new, freestanding tub and re-tile the floor leaving an access panel there, or come up with some other access solution. This would mean that we could invest in a bigger shower insert (a relatively small price, only around $200 and TOTALLY worth it), since the freestanding tub would take up much less space.  However, the freestanding tubs of the world cost roughly your first born child and also your right arm, so there's that to think about.  The re-tiling would still have to be done around the shower, and we would have to try and match our current floor tile, as you have to finish the floor under a freestanding tub.  This could run us anywhere from $4000-$10,000. I DIE.  Holy expensive, batman!  This is what I feel like that amount of money would be...

Everything hinges on the word from the termite man today. *bites nails compulsively* Not that I'm freaking out or anything (I totally am!), because I know our DIY skills are up to the challenge (Are they?), and I'm sure everything will work out perfectly and we won't have to spend much (But probably not!).  Ugh.  Merry Christmas to us! This is why you haven't seen me around.  This is why you don't see my holiday mantle and Christmas tree and wintery crafts and everything else my bloggy friends with functioning bathrooms are doing.  So if you think about us, say a little payer for cheap repairs and stress management techniques. Also that I would stop tearing up whenever I think about how NICE a bath would feel...

I'll be back tomorrow to show you what our bathroom looked like BEFORE Mr. Crappy Remodeler Guy got his grubby little hands on it.  I must say, even with these hefty issues, I'm glad he did the remodel...  I don't think we would have purchased the house if it had the original bathroom.  Be ready for some 70's chic countertops!

I hope you're having a fantastic Monday, friends, and thanks for reading my not-so-interesting, and very wordy post. =)  Happy Monday!

An open letter to myself

**I normally don't post a lot of personal stuff on here b/c I feel like it can be a "downer," and I like to keep it upbeat.  But in the spirit of keeping it real, and hoping that writing will feel cathartic, I'm going to try it this once.  Feel free to skip this one and come back tomorrow =) **

Dear April,

RELAX.  You are running around like a crazy woman trying to accomplish things, and you're stressing yourself completely unnecessarily.  Everything is going to work out - God promises it will!  You have a fantastic husband who would support you through anything and wants to talk to you about your struggles.  Open up and LET HIM IN.  He will love you no matter what and wants to help you through your struggles.  Get over yourself, and talk to him, lady!

You have a fantastic job with an amazing boss and people who love and value you.  You are your own worst critic, and you always have been; lay off.  You can't be perfect at everything.  And the more you try the more frustrated you will feel.  Take some time to remember what you have and be thankful.  If every student doesn't get as much time as they should with you one day, don't stress.  Just try again tomorrow - it's a new day.  Never be afraid to ask for help - people WANT to help you.  Forget about your terrible past experiences, and forgive the people who've made you feel less than you are.

Stress is a choice, April.  And sadly, it's a choice you are ADDICTED to making.  When you feel that tightness in your stomach, just stop.  No matter what you're doing, stop and pray.  Your phone call, your meeting, your students can afford to wait 10 seconds for you to re-center, and everyone will be better for it, especially you.  Once you're done, smile at someone... remember something beautiful... and then continue with what you're doing.  Take a little time for you.

You are EXACTLY where God wants you to be in your life.  All you can do is follow after Him and He will guide you.  Enjoy this day, this moment, this second, and thank God for it.  Enjoy and love every student like they were you own, knowing they are someone's precious baby. Confide in your amazing husband; he is a gift from God.  And breathe.  Breath in, breathe out - enjoy this life for all it offers.

You can do it; you already are

~Yourself

a day off

Taking today to spend some quality time with the hubs =) I love fall break!!

Enjoy your Wednesday friends, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow.

**Special thanks to Melanie over at Addicted to Homes for making a fall wreath inspired by mine!  Doesn't hers look awesome???***

Visitors and Projects

As I mentioned in pretty much every post last week, my sister graduated from high school on Wednesday!!  It was a wonderful (read: inside, air-conditioned, and not horrendously long) ceremony, and we had a GREAT party at my parent's house afterward.  Speaking of which, is anyone else an addict of Costco cake?  I'm telling you, apart from some high-end bakeries, they make the BEST cake for the money - hands down.  We consumed ridiculous amounts of it in celebration of my sister, so the calories won't count right??  Anyway... 

In honor of the occasion, we had the pleasure of hosting my cousin, Lauren, from California and her sweet Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever and Poodle mix), Luna, at our home the past few days.  Since Luna is a big chicken (scared of her own shadow sometimes), we wondered how the whole Ted/Luna relationship would work out.  I wasn't too worried, as Ted has never meet a dog he can't be friends with.  And boy was I right.  From the moment Lauren and Luna arrived, Ted and Luna were besties.  Here's a few sappy pics of them snuggling (WARNING - if you do not like adorable or cute images, please skip down to the remainder of this post which will contain the normal home decorating and DIY content!).

Cue the "Awwwwww!"

 

Puppy snuggle time is about the CUTEST thing in the world.  It was so fun having Lauren and Luna around for a few days, and we will miss them! 

As much as we've enjoyed celebrating, just like any giant event, it's nice when it's all over and everything quiets down again.  We're all enjoying the quiet around here, and making plans for the rest of our summer.  Eric and I will be jetting off for a few trips this summer (two to California and one to Colorado), and I'm sure we'll have a few camping adventuress here and there on the weekends.  I'm also trying to get all of my plans squared away for all of my upcoming projects.  I decided to leave the pedestal table the way it is for now, as I'm more and more in love with the honey brown wood, even though it doesn't go with the decor in our sitting room...  perhaps a location change is in order?  Who knows.   But I still haven't shown you my other finds from my amazingly productive day of goodwill shopping.  Enter, Mr. Bench:

Isn't he adorable?!  I love the lines he has, but I'm not crazy about the color.  While I love gold, this shade is very "fake" looking, and it's starting to rust in places.  Solution: spray paint it and cover the top with a nice thick cushion.  The only real problem I'm having is deciding on a color.  I love silver, but will silver spray paint look just as "fakey" as the current gold does?  My other option is white, but as it's final home will be our bedroom/bathroom, most of which is white already...  Will it be white-overload?  I'm going for the "clean," and "modern" look, not the "asylum" look.  Suggestions welcome, people!

Next, meet Mr. & Mrs. Porcelain Lamp

(Excuse the lighting, I only have a point and shoot camera) Whoever had these before was obviously very classy.  I ALWAYS pair one regular light bulb with one black light bulb, just to add some character to the space *giggle*  I ditched the very 90's shades right away and put them back in the donation box outside goodwill.  And since the bases only cost me...

 (wow, could I be a WORSE picture-taker?!) for the pair of them, I think I'll be investing in some nice drum shades like these at Target:

If I buy two shades and a can of spray paint (the bases obviously need some color help), I'll have two custom lamps for under $40.  Win!  I may even do some sweet detailing on the shade.  Maybe I'll stamp it a a bit with fabric paint, or put on some ribbon trim?  I've even batted around the idea of winding some sisal rope around the shade to give it a more Pottery Barn or Ballard look.  I'm just not sure what this would do the the light coming through the shade.  I like the shades to glow and I think the sisal rope might nip that in the bud.  I also can't decide whether to use a deep blue spray paint for the bases, perhaps in this shade:

Or maybe go with a lime green from Benjamin Moore?

 

Both of these are accent colors in my room of beiges, whites and blacks.  Ideas, suggestions??  I'd love your input!  Either way, both of these projects will at least be getting started this week.  Maybe even this afternoon (provided I EVER finish this post!). 

I should be bringing you another post tomorrow (maybe later today if i decide to be a rock-star blogger?) about the death of one of my loved ones... my beloved "C" decal on my wall.  It was a wedding gift from a friend, and up until Eric so very kindly offered to dust for me, it looked similar to these:

I bet you can't guess what happened while he was dusting (poor guy, he's so sweet - he felt terrible!).  I'm hoping to resurrect it this weekend with some TLC and glue... we'll see how it goes.  I hope you are enjoying your last workday before the weekend!  Happy Friday, friends!  

Bargain Acheived!

I love my husband. While he NEVER pokes fun at my dreams and aspirations (read: awesome husband), he sometimes pokes fun at design concepts that he thinks sound pretentious (read: jealous-of-my-talents-husband.) <-- Just kidding, babe! The latest of these is my out and ut obsession with Chinese Garden Stools. Ok, so it does kind of sound like something Frasier and Niles Crane would want to own, but I sweat they have been popping up in Jonathan Adler rooms, Nate Berkus designs and all over every design blog of note. And yours truly has fallen in LOVE. I have wanted one for almost a year, and have browsed the internet (without much real hope of finding anything in my price range) for quite some time. My hopes were kindled when I saw one listed in a Tastemaker Tag Sale on One Kings Lane a few weeks ago, but even that stool was over $100 and WELL out of my price range.

Then, while shopping at ROSS (of all places) while looking for some one of a kind martini glasses for a bachelorette party I was throwing, I saw one. Green, glossy and perfect, it was practically SCREAMING to me, "Buy me! PLEASE!" I walked up to it with trepidation and saw the price tag: $15. Was this an evil, evil joke? Ohmigosh, I had to have it. I scooped it up and went right home, forgetting completely about the martini glasses (what a good friend, right?).

When Eric came home that night, I was SO EXCITED to tell him about my bargain! While I told him of my year-long search and my super-steal his eyes glazed over and he began to look at my like a puppy who is confused *picture cute cocking of the head.*

"And doesn't it look spectacular as a side table between these two chairs?!" I say as my story is wrapping up...

"Yes." He said as I finished my story of decorating aweomeness.

"Well?!"

"That's great?"

Ugh - boys! Oh well, I was pleased to see a stool just like mine pop up on the pages of Elle Decor yesterday. Feast your eyes upon this $300 beauty that looks IDENTICAL to my $15 one. =D Gooooooo budget shopping! *I cheer!*

On a side note, isn't the rest of this room adorable? Can't go wrong with a Jonathan Adler blanket though ;) Happy Wednesday, everyone!