The Planning Stage

Another week closer to my goals, or another week of my life gone, depending how one looks at it.  Where did I leave off, oh yes, Jimmy-dog had his test.  The vet called with his results and she was very surprised that he was negative for the 8 hour test.  So, yet again, he doesn't have Cushing's Syndrome.  She was convinced that the previous negative result with the 4 hour test was just an anomaly because of his symptoms.  That means more tests, but the vet is baffled at this point and asked that I bring him in again for a check-up and quick ultrasound to see if the size of his adrenal tumor has changed.  She said the magic words "bring him in at no cost" because she would have looked at him last week when he was there but was too busy.  She said she wants to consult with the endocrinologist at UC Davis to discuss his case.  I'm glad he's getting attention but I wish we had a treatment plan.

My brother-in-law came to visit last weekend.  He is my nephew's god-father as well as uncle so they spent some time together and then we went to visit his extended family who lives nearby.  We also took my mother to the airport so that she could fly out to California again to see her favorite dermatologist.  She will be back in a couple of weeks.  Not much else happened.  It rained most of the week but we managed to walk the dogs a little bit before getting hailed on.  I got the quote back for moving the washer/dryer hook up and installing cabinets and new appliances in the kitchen.  It was very affordable, only $1500 but now I need to find and purchase cabinets, countertops, etc....  I have decided to put my mortgage re-payment plan on hold to build up my cash reserves for this project.  I don't have a quote for the carport to AZ room conversion because he needs to come out again and take some measurements.  That's the one I'm really interested in because I need to figure out how to finance the project.  No rush though.  That's at least 5 months away.

For now, I am cruising craigslist for cabinets and weighing my options in my head.  This is what I want, although, on a much smaller scale since my kitchen is about 1/4th this size.

My ceilings are half as tall too. OK, so I just like the cabinets and maybe the countertop. I'll probably change my mind a few times.

More Goodies for the Bathroom Remodel

Tuesday already.  Hooray!  Only 3 work days left until my 3 day weekend.  I have plenty of projects but before I get to those, just a quick update on my nephew.  I talked with his grandma and she seems confident that both boys will be able to stay with grandpa unless something happens to grandpa's health.  School started today and we will soon see if my nephew is able to keep up with his school work with everything else going on.  His aunt and uncle live 3 miles away and they will continue to help out.  So, I will stay on my mortgage repayment path for the time being and also make cleaning and getting rid of stuff more of a priority just in case I need to change my living arrangements quickly.  The weather is still hot here but October should cool down enough to go out to my property and start the clean up.

Last week, after I found out Home Depot didn't carry them in the store, I decided to order some Smart Tiles for the bathroom.  I got some extra for the kitchen too but I'm not sure if I like them yet.

Sorry, the lighting is very bad.  I think my light fixture has one good bulb left.  I can't wait until I can get that fixture replaces.  It is #1 on my list.

I didn't like the squares but this rectangular one looked ok.  As you can see, I was also trying out laminate flooring as a backsplash idea.  It was too dark for the kitchen.

I picked these blue squares for the bathroom.  I like them but the ugly 70's metal cabinet with yellowing plastic doors is throwing off the whole design.  I am either going to cover it and replace the doors or remove it and put a shelf there instead.  I'll need to add some storage somewhere else.

I also ordered tile paint and sandpaper for refinishing the bottom of the shower.  I tried vinegar and bleach and later, muriatic acid to try and clean the grout but it is pitted and hopeless.  I'm not looking forward to sanding.  Maybe I'll go back to painting the walls again.  I never got very far with that project.  

I'm excited to actually have the tiles.  They look much bigger online.  I'll end up taking some back and ordering more of the ones I like.  Maybe this will be the incentive I need to continue my bathroom remodel.  I can't use the tiles until I finish painting and decide what to to with the cabinet.  If I keep working on it I will get it done.

Plumbing Fail and Kitchen Inspiration

Another fun weekend just puttering around the house, getting things done.  My first priority was fixing my shower faucet.  I failed but it's ok.  The showerhead started dripping around 5 months ago but I have put off fixing it because it requires turning off the water to the house and I was afraid that I would break something and I would be without water and then I would have to take a day off of work to wait for a plumber.  This weekend seemed like a good weekend to try to fix it since I didn't have any guests and I have enough vacation days in case of emergency.

I got out the special tool that my co-worker lent me, turned off the water to the house, sprayed some WD-40 on the nut and attempted to loosen it.  It did not budge.  I can see how people who are stronger than I am might break the pipe while trying to unscrew this thing but there was no danger of me breaking anything except maybe the screwdriver that I was using for leverage.  I gave up and turned the water back on.  Luckily, there was no wild spraying of water or anything else dramatic.  I was relieved that there was no need for an emergency call to a plumber and also relieved that I had tried and failed and could move on to the next chore on the list.  I put aluminum foil around the faucet stem so that when it drips it will drip in to the shower instead of in to the wall.  It only seems to drip when I turn the cold water on.  This chore has now moved off my urgent list and is on my "when I get around to it" list.  I'm thinking that I should buy a new showerhead and controls and have a plumber install them for me when he replaces the faucet stems.  That will be part of my bathroom renovation when I get to it.

Original 1975 faucet stem.  Not going to budge.

For the rest of the weekend, I was trying out kitchen ideas.  I've been changing the curtains with fabric that I have around the house, sheets, dish towels, blanket throws.  I haven't found the right color combination yet.  That's a work in progress.  A brilliant idea hit me when I was trying to make my kitchen more practical.  I moved the refrigerator out so that it backs up to the washer/dryer and frees up space next to the stove.  I don't know where my before picture went to but you get the idea.  The fridge used to be under the top cabinets.

 Then I hung a curtain rod under the cabinet and hung the pots and pans from hooks.  Later, I will add a butcher block (or something like it) countertop and a shelf or two.  I'm still not sure where to put the lids.

 It still needs curtains, paint or tile backsplash or both, new light fixture, and cabinet help.  Oh, and the light switch is now blocked by the fridge.  That's a bit of a problem.  Anyhow, it was fun to try things out to see if they would work.  It only cost me $6 for the curtain rod and I think it looks great.  I will now wait for more great ideas to pop in to my brain.