I can't believe we did it again!

As we were laying the tile last night in our downstairs bathroom - I realized - AGAIN we forgot to take before photos! Darn it all!

Last week we tore out the old vanity. Old is right - apparently someone jsut refinished an old one instead of replacing it. Then Thursday evening while I was at work, Tom tore out the linoleum. Said it was pretty easy - no adhesive left under most of it!

So Friday, after a busy afternoon at work, I came home and after dinner we set to work. Took the toilet out. Took our the shower doors. Took down the humongous mirror (without breaking it, I will have you know!),

So Saturday after going to breakfast we set to work....had to make a trip to Home Depot of course...to get some drywall to fix the wall where the sink plumbing it. That was such an odd mess...you wonder how things are built! Of course I really wonder, when the two walls on either side of the bedroom door into the bathroom are offset...wonder if they added the one closet?
So after that we got to work on the floor.

Tom even let me play with his power tools....after playing jigsaw puzzle with the backer board, I got to screw most of it in!

And then we went to early dinner. After that we started in laying the tile. Only took us 3 hours!
And as we were laying it, I was disappointed with it. Told Tom I liked the tile upstairs much better. But when I looked at the tile today - I do like it. Very neutral. Supposedly gray but I swear it has green in it. So I think the walls will be green. Maybe a very very light sage shade...altho I was looking at the peach walls upstairs (it is a pain to have to trek upstairs to use the bathroom - especially in the middle of the night!) and I do like that color...

Looked at lights while at Home Depot. Couldn't decide on any. I don't have a 'vision' for this room yet. I mean, with the upstairs bath, as soon as we picked the white pedestal sink I knew exactly where we were going and it was easy to pick out the shower curtain, lights and all....altho I am no decorator by any means! And it was a thrill when it all came together so well! I think I need to pull out the vanity/sink we bought so long ago...I think that will help.

And yes, jsut to let you all know, we are both a little slow and sore this morning...

WWI Nurses

I am jsut finishing reading a wonderful book - Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.
A lot of intersting things about being a British nurse in WWI.
My mom was an Army Nurse in WWII. She never talked much about it.
But this book led me to the lyrics of this song which touched me:

THE ROSE OF NO MAN'S LAND(Jack Caddigan / James A. Brennan)William Thomas - 1916Henry Burr
1918Charles Hart
1919Hugh Donovan (a.k.a. Charles Harrison)
1919

I've seen some beautiful flowers
Grow in life's garden fair
I've spent some wonderful hours
Lost in their fragrance rare
But I have found another
Wondrous beyond compare....

There's a rose that grows in no-man's land
And it's wonderful to see
Though its sprayed with tears, it will live for years
In my garden of memory

It's the one red rose the soldier knows
It's the work of the Master's hand
'Neath the War's great curse stands a Red Cross nurse
She's the rose of no-man's land

Out in the heavenly splendour
Down to the trail of woe
God in his mercy has sent her
Fearing the World below
We call her Rose of Heaven
We've longed to love her so....

There's a rose that grows in no-man's land
And it's wonderful to see
Though its sprayed with tears, it will live for years
In my garden of memory
It's the one red rose the soldier knows
It's the work of the Master's hand
'Neath the War's great curse stands a Red Cross nurse
She's the rose of no-man's land

(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - June 2004)
retrieved June 20, 2007 from http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/t/theroseofnomansland.shtml

I'm a Corvette!

I'm a Corvette!
The car I have always wanted...well, every since the first time I watched Route 66 (this is really dtaing me, isnt it!). Of course, not the one in the photo on the quiz...but a vintage convertible one of course!
You are a Chevrolet Corvette!

"You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do. "

Athletic??? Competetive??? I dont think so. Yeah, dont push my pedal tho!

Go have some fun and see what you are at:
http://www.tomorrowland.us/cgi-bin/ptest-sportscar

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy birthday to my father - born Daniel Leo Sullivan Jr, Massachusetts, June 19, 1919.
Died in Seaside California June 9, 1997.
We all miss you so much.
You have some very fine grandsons to be proud of - one of whom ws born in June too - Happy Birthday Owen - who turned 12 on June 12. Guess that makes him a Gemini just like his great-grandfather!

Oh No, That Cant Happen to Me!

Yeah - we have all said that at one time or another huh?
I have said it too.
Cause I take real good care of my credit cards. I won't even give out CC numbers/information over portable phones cause I have heard those can be intercepted...

So what happens?
Got a call from American Express checking into a number of recent charges...several of which were declined thank goodness.
Yep, on the first 2 Saturdays of this month someone decided to try to go shopping with my CC.
3 or 4 places on the first Saturday. They managed to actually charge things then.
The second Saturday the humongous charge was declined.

So luckily AmEx knew this was not usual activity on my account (after all, I havent even checked this month's statement yet!). And so out with the old - in with the new. And I hope that somehow that little bugger can be traced!

But first I would like to figure out how and when they got the number. Cause neither hubby nor I can figure it out. Havent even used the card in about 2 months.

"They" keep talking about turning us into a cashless society. Well, before that happens, "they" better be able to figure out how to keep our accounts safe from those nasty little sneak thieves.

So - if anyone reads this - I hope you go immediately to check on all your CC accounts and make sure they are safe from intruders!

Misc Photos

The top photo is our ADHD dog - Jack. We adopted him. He is crazy. And getting worse as he gets older. The dog rescue told us they literally took him off the table minutes before he was to be euthanized at a shelter out in the Central Valley.

Dont you love the sign that is in some of the BART cars?

The Marine debris timeline I took awhile ago. It is at a beach in Cape May NJ. I think we should all keep that around and read it periodically. Make us think about what we are doing to our poor poor planet and how Mother Nature must cry herself to sleep each night.

And of course, with the job I do, I had to take a photo of the giant safety pin - or as I call it, a diaper pin! From the re-done museum in Golden Gate Park (SF, CA).

And that's enough time spent on photos today! Thank you Tom for getting me that neat transfer devise since I couldnt find my download cord!

Cambria CA

Another place we love is Cambria CA, just south of San Simeon where Hearst Castle is. Had never been to Hearst Castle so for my 50th birthday I planned a trip down there. Stayed in the most wonderful B&B, the J. Patrick House (www.jpatrickhouse.com). The rooms are great - the people are wonderful - the food is wonderful - and the have the most delicious chocolate chip cookies as a bedtime snack. Oh yeah, and the afternoon wine and goodies are good too as they try to serve local wines.

Hearst Castle is unbelievable - the amount of money that was spent there...above are a couple of the guesthouses that I wouldnt mind living in! And would love to be in that pool today as it is hot! hot! hot! here! The grounds are beautiful but I jsut wish I could have seen them when they had the wild animals there!

We have taken several tours but the best by far was the night time tour that is offered only in certain months. They had people dressed in period costume 'enjoying' themselves as guests in the house - that is the part I would want to play onlyI wouldnt want to leave!

And the wine bottles, I had to take a photo. Those are from the Cresta Blanca winery which use to be right up here in my neighborhood!

The last time we went to Cambria our favorite B&B was full. So we found another wonderful one, the Olalliebrry Inn ( www.olallieberry.com/) which is beautiful - with good food - and within walking distance of the main downtown area!

We always end up eating in the same two restuarants because we enjoy them so much: The Sea Chest (http://www.seachestrestaurant.com ) for their wonderful seafood - noreservations - games to play with while you are waiting for your table. And the Sow's Ear(http://www.thesowsear.com) - the food is very good and we love the bread that is baked into flowerpots - a combo of a white bread and a dark bread!

Lots of fun stores, especially the antiques, and The Shop Next Door (http://www.squibbhouse.net/shop.htm) where there are the most beautiful hand made rocking chairs in the whole world. I really am going to buy one, one of these days!

Memorial Day Weekend

The year after we moved back to CA we took advantage of one of those free weekend, come see and buy things. Took our trailer up to Bass Lake and ended up buying into the campground. NOt a bad deal at the time although they never were able to fulfill everything that we bought into. Plus after 15 years we had a choice of staying as lifetime members or getting our money back. We chose to get our money back. But we still love that area. And we try to go up every year - especially at this time of the year. These days we stay at a lovely place on HIghway 41 just outside of Fish Camp called the Narrow Gauge Inn (www.narrowgaugeinn.com). They have the most beautiful gardens there - and again, wonderful (but expensive) food at their restuarant.

Easter

Connor is the only one old enough to really look for eggs...and he has his mother's competitive spirit about doing that. Jack enjoyed running around...Owen enjoyed finding some eggs but even more, he enjoyed smashing them once he found them! As you can see by the top photo - that can be an exhausting business!

Photos from Mendocino

We took a well needed mini-vacation over St. Patrick's Day and went back to Mendocino...something we had been saying we would do for about 10 years now. Stayed in a lovely place called the Little River Inn (www.littleriverinn.com) just south of Mendocino. The view to the right is outside on the balcony that ran outside our room. The food at the restuarant there was very good too.

More photos!

Here are some socks I have made...too bad that I havent made myself make the 2d sock for each pair yet! Then I would have more to wear (but not this week with the weather in the 90's and above!)

Here is Connor - looking as though he knows what to do! Of course, it would help if he could see from under the cap! He loves watching baseball, but I don't know about playing baseball! Guess we will see as time goes by!

Some of the photos I promised

Here are the 3 boys at Christmas 2006. Soon I should be able to get an updated photo of them posted! Connor, on the left, is the oldest, at 4 years old - in the rocking chair is the youngest Jack, who was 16 months old in this foto - and the long haired cutie, Owen, is 18 months old in this photo. Owen will be welcoming a sister into his family this coming September - hopefully AFTER we come back from Hawaii!

The other photo is of Jack and PaPa at Connor's T'ball game - or Dirt Ball as we call it since the kids seem to be more interested in playing in and with the dirt than playing pre-baseball! Lots of fun - especially to see how they improved over the short season. Kudo's to the coach's patience!!

More on the bathroom

I am so upset with myself for not taking 'before' photos. The bathroom is looking so awesome!
Yesterday we got the toilet put in - no problem. Got the shower curtain rod up - spent the extra money and got one of those hotel room types, that are curved outward. And the baseboards up. Which really finishes off the floor nicely.

But the pedestal sink....now, I wont name names as to who chose the sink, but Tom (oops!!) thought it would look nicer (it does) and roomier (it does) and be easier to install - HA!
First of all, some of the younger guys at Home Depot seem to think women dont know what they are doing at all. When we picked out the faucet, I kept telling him that the box the sink was in (which was on the cart right in front of him) said the faucet was an 8" offset...but he said it was standard and anything would fit. So he sold us a faucet with a 4" offset....guess what???? Yup, another trip back to Home Depot...

Where of course they didnt have any other faucet we really liked. But this time a man who knew what he was doing helped us. And we bought a new sink (today I get to take back the old one) and sold us back the faucet we just returned.

That all fit. But the trouble came with securing the sink to the wall and the fact that there is only enough room to work in IF you have hands the size of a toddlers....FINALLY got that in (glad no one was taking photos or recording us during that part!!). Now jsut needs some finagling with the pipe, so Tom gets to make another trip cause he knows what kind of pipe he needs.

Called it a day after we hung the shower curtains. And we keep running up there to admire our work! Didnt get the window blinds up as planned - so at this point we still have to do that, the mirror (which needs a coat of paint) and switchplate covers. Oh yeah, and put the door back up.

Which brings me to another subject...builders. Now this is an original bathroom. Not added on by anyone. And as I was sitting in there yesterday I again complained about the fact that where the switch and the outlet were are so stupid cause they waste so much of the limited wall space. If you put a towel rack above, you would have to be the Jolly Green Giant to reach, and if you put a towel rack below, they would drag on the ground. And the more I looked the more I realized something else - they arent even level with each other!!! The outlet box is about an 1" lower than the switch!!! How stupid is that????

So I still dont have the covers for that because I cant find what I want although I have seen them in the past! Go figure - that is how it always goes huh! I just want white covers that are vaguely shell shaped. And I know I have seen them - but not when I am looking for it!

Got my entries for the fair turned in on Saturday. Not really happy with the way the baby socks turned out, but I do like how the blanket looks. Met up with our friends Mitch and Marilyn for lunch. Took them to our favorite Mexican restuarant (which Mitch said was good!) and where my hubby endeared himself to me by dumping a container of hot sauce on me!!!! And it also splashed on Marilyn's NEW WHITE top and her purse!!!!!!!!!!! Then went to the grad party for the son of a friend of our's. Also went to a movie that night - Ocean's 13. So we had fun on Saturday before we worked our butts off on Sunday...

I am anxious to make this pattern called Scrawl (http://www.funknits.com/scrawl%20pattern.htm) but dont like the color choices in the yarn it is made from. So finally decided on a yarn...and of course my friend Joan at http://www.monarchknitting.com/ has the yarn but it is so hard to choose colors with seeing them! Maybe I can get down there at the end of the month. Meanwhile I am forcing myself to finish 2 UFO's. One is a Christmas gift for a friend who might read this...and one if the sweater I started how long ago?? from homespun yarn. Love the colors of the yarn. And I have the back and sleeves done. So as soon as I finish the Christmas present I can do the fronts of this sweater. And then I can maybe make that shrug pattern! If I get too bored, I have about 3 - 1/2 pairs of socks done!!

But this week is the week to clean the house for Owen's birthday party next Sunday!! He is already 2! So unbelievable! And that means that Jack will be 2 in August and Connor 5 in November! And in between that, Owen will welcome a little sister in September! This family is growing!

Tuesday

Well, we grouted the tile floor in the upstairs bathroom last night. It is really looking nice! I am really pleased with how it is pulling together. I only worked that 1/2 day on Sunday so we went and dropped $$$ at Home Depot ... got the sink and the toilet. Those should go in on this coming Sunday....maybe even Saturday night if we get really ambitious!

Better news: I think I am actually going to be able to finish my Fair entry today! I only have to turn it in on Saturday! I am making it a bit smaller than the pattern states, but I think that if I did it the same length, it would be too big. So....if I can finish it today, I can wash and block it tonight. And start on the baby socks tomorrow!! YAY!

Bathroom Update

I am so excited! The upstairs bathroom is really coming together. And Tom is doing most of thw work. So the tilework and tub refurb is done....and we already painted. Got the new lighting fixture in place (which looked so much whiter in the store!) Tom laid the tile floor yesterday and I am surprisingly still pleased with the tile we chose - I am no interior decorator and making all these design choices is very stressful.

I am really so pleased with how the tub and surround look! And was so thrilled when the guy chose a shell dish to replace the broken soap dish. I mean, he didnt even ask and it is so perfect becuase the shower curtain has shells on it and beach scenes!

One of the people at work needed Wed afternoon/evening off. So I said I would work it for her - so she worked this morning for me. So we made a very expensive trip to Home Depot (should buy stock in that place!). Bought the pedistal sink and the new toilet...the baseboards...toilet paper roll and towel bar (although coming home I found I bought the wrong one so will have to take it back), shower curtain rod and rings...Still need some kind of "furniture" - AKA shelves or something to hold things! and realized that I will have another design decision to make soon...rug and towels!!! This, of course, is hoping that the shower curtain I bought really does go well with the room!

We need to repaint the mirror. Now that was the best find of all - free! We were driving down the street coming from breakfast one day and saw a pile of things in a driveway with a "FREE" sign on them. Tom spotted the mirror - I was sure it was plastic - but we went back to look anyway! And it was wood! Not a break or a crack or anything on it. Not sure why they were giving it away! And it has a sorta nautical theme on it already - it is already white but will need a coat of paint to brighten it up!

When we were away last weekend we did some of what I call "dumpster diving". Meaning, going to thrift shops and garage sales and all. I am still regretting passing up something at a garage sale. A lovely wooden round coffee table with marble top. Did have one stain on it. But it was a good buy and was quite lovely. Oh well. We went to the Coarsegold Peddler's Fair and I talked myself out of quite a bit there too. I am tired of being such a packrat and trying NOT to add any more - but it is hard! It was very easy to pass up the stuff at the Oakhurst Peddler's Fair - it was crap.

When we went to our first Oakhurst Peddler's Fair it was WONDERFUL! And entire street and all the parking lots filled with "antiques" and what they wanted you to believe were antiques! It was heavenly and it literally took hours to go thru. Then it moved to another parking lot area and was a mix of flea market junk and antiques. The last couple of years it has been in yet another area - and this year was the smallest I have seen. And yet they still have the audacity to charge $3 for parking! I think we were there for 30 minutes and that was only because we bought some edibles from the Root Family Farm People (they have the most awesome Golden Caramel Corn Nuggets - too easy to eat a whole bag of those myself!!). Next year we wont even waste the time there...

The last weekend I worked, we had 2 high school students with us for a couple of hours. From a Health? Science? Academy locally. Supposedly there becuase they were interested in nursing as a career. Well, as we talked with them we found out that neither one had ever even thought of nursing...they were thinking more a being a doctor. This week I recieved the lovliest of all thank you notes from one of them...thanking me for the time I spent with them and also for all the useful information I gave her about nursing and what a wonderful career it it - and that she was now looking into nursing as a career!!! I have that thank you note on my clipboard to look at on bad days...like this last Friday was when I came home ready to look for another job.