Bathroom Before and After Photos

Our beautiful, updated bathroom is finished (except for a missing part with the shower kit that is on its way). A million thanks to my talented and hard-working Dad for completing most of this project and helping Michael learn how to tile and grout. My brother gave us a gift card to Pier 1 for Christmas so we were able to go get a new shower curtain and mat. I can't wait to take my first bath! What an amazing wedding gift!

Floor before and after:



Vanity before and after:


Shower before and after:




Toilet before and after:

Happy New Year!

I'm a couple days late, but Happy New Year! I know 2011 will be an exciting year for us.

Michael got a lesson in laying tile on Sunday when he was able to help my dad tile the rest of the bathtub walls. He cut the tiles while my dad put them on the wall. After my dad left that night, he told me, "Well, I think I should be able to tile the entry way now." I said that I was excited for the bathroom to be complete and if he did the entryway, that would be awesome (as of now, we have cheap-looking Pergo), to which he replied, "I said I should be able to, not that I would." Very funny.

Here are some pictures:



It looks amazing!

Not much to report on the baby front. We find out if we are having a boy or a girl 2 weeks from today and then leave on our Caribbean cruise 2 weeks from Saturday - our Christmas gift from my parents. It will be a great way to celebrate our 6th month anniversary and our new baby-to-be. After we find out the sex of our little bundle, we can start getting everything in line. I think I will feel much more excited once we know. I still haven't been able to feel the baby move at all and hoping that happens very soon!

I wish I had more exciting news to report! Until next time . . .

Home, Sweet Home

Home from a nice Christmas with my grandma, my brother and Michael. We had a good time. Michael ate his first casino Christmas dinner. Sad to say, we didn't have any good luck while we were playing the slot machines. Oh well. Two holidays down, one to go.

My grandma made us a beautiful baby blanket and gave it to us this weekend.


Louie doesn't quite understand that it wasn't made specifically for him.


I told him he could borrow it for a couple of months.

We came home to tile on our bathtub walls! Here are some pictures of the progress being made on our spare bathroom remodel.


Last but not least, here is an updated "belly bump" picture taken on Christmas Eve at 17 weeks, 2 days. We have our ultrasound appointment scheduled for January 20th and hopefully we will be able to tell if we are going to have a boy or a girl!


Happy New Year everyone!

'Tis the Season

We've been busy preparing for Christmas. We are leaving on Thursday to fly to Las Vegas to visit my grandma Pat. She lives in Bullhead City, AZ, about an hour south of Las Vegas. We will be staying until Sunday morning, then heading back to Grand Junction to spend Sunday with my parents and brother. Michael's parents plan on traveling to Grand Junction around that time and we will see them sometime on Monday.

I am looking forward to the end of the holiday season. For me, it's just not "the most wonderful time of the year." I always feel stressed out about dividing time between both of our families. I don't like Christmas shopping and strive to get it done before Thanksgiving but some shopping after Thanksgiving can't be avoided. I made my last trip to the mall on Friday, right after it opened, and while it wasn't terrible, it's not my idea of fun. I always try to make the best of the time but if I'm being honest, I feel relieved every year when it's over. I hope next year, when we have our own child, we can start some traditions of our own as a family of 3.

Speaking of Baby W, our baby loot has increased:


In fact, I am now cut off from internet shopping for baby stuff (okay, internet shopping in general - I may have a problem). My mom even told me I have to slow down! Every time I see something "buggy" I want it for our nursery. We are also trying to decide what to do about sleeping arrangements for the period of time when the baby will sleep in our room. I have been looking at bassinets, Pack 'n Plays, and the adorable Moses baskets. I've gotten a lot of good advice from good friends who are moms. One thing is for sure, everyone is willing to give advice to a pregnant lady!

As for our spare bathroom, definite progress is being made. The first layer of drywall mud is up and the walls around the tub are ready to be tiled. My dad has been working on the weekends and occasionally in the evenings. Here are some pictures of the bathroom, as of yesterday:




Here is the tile plan as of now as well as the paint color on the bottom right. The paint color will be the same as one of the walls in our kitchen: "Sand Fossil." The decorative border will go all the way around the tub and be about 5 tiles up from the tub. I can't wait to see the finished product!


Belly pics to come next time.

Everyone have a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year celebration!

Bathroom Update

Fun times!


Old tub in the front yard. Michael told me this is the outdoor hot tub I've always wanted!!


2nd layer of wall. There were 2-3 layers of drywall on each wall. Strange.


Original wall. Sad to see that lovely wallpaper go! :)


No more wall, just frame work.

Lots of progress made today! Looking forward to a beautiful new bathroom.

Making Progress

The tile and walls are torn out of the bathroom and the plumber is coming tomorrow morning, bright and early. The ugly green splatter paint tiles are gone forever! (Oh, except the matching ones in the master bathroom.) As I type, the sink, cabinets and tub are being removed (I'll post pictures later). Here is the progress on the bathtub area as of this morning:


Also, for your viewing pleasure, here are a couple pictures of me from yesterday (14 weeks, 3 days pregnant). Michael took the pictures and told me that I had the smallest baby belly ever. He's right; I don't even look pregnant yet, just like I eat a half dozen donuts for breakfast each morning. I hope within the next month, I will look pregnant not just chubby. The shadow makes it hard to see as well but this is me now.
I went to an Arbonne spa party yesterday thrown by my dear friend, Tarrah. We had a "pampermint" food soak and used the anti-aging skin care line. My feet and face both feel amazing this morning. I sure wish I had at least $500 to spend on Arbonne products. They are amazing but quite expensive. I asked Michael if I could order some for my Christmas present but got no definitive answer. :)

Have a great weekend, all!

Out with the Old, In with the New

Our wedding present from my parents is a bathroom remodel. We have picked out the tile, cabinets and counter tops and the bathroom is now ready to be demolished. As many of you know, we have been working for the past 2 years to remodel a circa 1930 orchard home. We have always regretted not taking "before" pictures of the kitchen area since we completely remodeled that area (took out walls and a chimney, put up new drywall including the ceiling, put in all new floors and new appliances). So, here are "before" pictures of our spare bathroom that will soon be brand-spanking-new, thanks to my talented dad.

Notice the lovely and flattering florescent light:

And the attractive jagged edge on the counter top:

The green splatter paint tile is outdated:

The hardwood floor must've been beautiful at some point, but now it's ruined:

And speaking of bringing in the new, here are a couple pictures of our new baby gear. Michael already has the crib set up and I've been busy purchasing bug accessories. I found rattles, teethers and other fun little baby items on sale at Kohl's this week. I even bought some Winnie the Pooh outfits for our little June Bug. I think they'll look perfect on either a girl or a boy.



Stay tuned for "after" pictures of our bathroom - soon to come!!!

New Carpet!!

Our new carpet was installed today, and judging by the excitement we both felt, we are getting old. Last summer, I was thrilled to get a new washer and dryer; this fall, it was carpet. We have lived in this house for over 2 years, and this was one of the last major projects. Of course, we have ongoing small projects; I think when you own a home, the small projects are never-ending! The carpet makes our home feel so much more comfortable! See after and before pictures below. (Yes, they are backward! I'm new at this blogging thing!)