Putting Things Back Together

Although I may be slacking slightly on blogging, it is not due to lack of content but rather lack of time. We have managed to stay quite busy. Aside from the master bathroom, which we are still using, we are done with taking things apart and in the process of putting things back together. In the two weeks that we have been here, a lot of progress has been made.

March 16

After eating breakfast, I looked at the tile for two hours trying to determine which one was the best choice. And I thought choosing carpet was hard; don’t even get me started on choosing tile. Not only do they vary in price, they vary in size and color. When you first go into a house with certain tile, it is the way it is. When remodeling, you get to choose, therefore you know the ‘what could be’ not just ‘what is’. But like my Dad said, “good, bad, or indifferent a decision has to be made.” So a decision was indeed made. I choose a 16”x16” ceramic tile titled earth sand. I called Home Depot to confirm that they had the 850 sqft in the same die lot that I needed and off we went to Ocala to pick up the tile. We grabbed a quick lunch at Chick-fil-a on the way. Getting a large quantity of tile can be a time consuming process. Upon locating the pallets of tile with the same die lot, they blocked off the aisle to use a forklift to get them down. During this time, I went over to look at kitchen and bathroom faucets. So there I was standing in the bathroom aisle in Home Depot when I received news that my sweet niece Evelyn Ann was born! I immediately went and shared the news with my dad. We continued to wait as they pulled the tile as well and the thin set, grout, and sealer that was needed. In addition to the tile supplies, I purchased two toilets. I must say, I’m quite excited about these toilets. The old toilets at the house to not  function as they should. Because of the weight of the tile, we were limited to what we could put on the trailer. We were able to get one pallet of tile (20 cases), 19 bags of thin set, and 5 bags of grout on the trailer. We would have to return at a later date to pick up the rest of the tile. It was close to 5:30pm by the time we made it back to the house and unloaded our purchases. The rest of the evening was spent hanging out at the house and figuring out how the tile would lay. 

Check that out, they had to close the aisle to get the tile down.

Getting ready to unload the first load of tile and thin set.

My adorable niece Evelyn Ann. Isn't she beautiful. It's okay if you stop and stare for a while.

March 17

We went to church in Yankeetown which is about 18 miles west of here on the Gulf Coast. After church we drove to the ocean side before heading back to Dunnellon. We had lunch at the Chinese buffet and got paint from Sherwin Williams. And then it was time for a Sunday afternoon nap. Nancy brought the paper over for us and then the work began. We worked at clearing more brush and trees before moving the party inside. I worked on repainting the hall bathroom. The beige that I had painted the walls before didn’t match the tan/brown tub and the earth sand tile so I went with a plain white. Or should, I say ‘downy’. Can you imagine being in charge of naming paints?! There are so many colors to name! Sometimes when I read the name of a color I don’t even think it’s a real word. For example: serape, oleander, and jacaranda.

At the Gulf.

Dinner at it's finest.

In case you were wondering, this is where I sleep. Now I know you may be curious as to why I have the mattress on the floor as opposed to on the frame. Well let me tell you, the first night it was on the frame but it was so squeaky that in the middle of the night I moved to the floor and I've stayed that way ever since. It's actually quite comfy.

This little guy was found hopping around in the shower after I had left the door open to the master garden area.

March 18

Although I helped my dad a little bit as he began tiling the floor, most of my day was spent doing the meticulous job of painting moldings beginning in the bathroom and moving to the hall, entry, and fire place room. I am amazed and what a difference paint can make, even that of the moldings. I also painted the main part of the hall bathroom ‘downy’. The previous day, I had just painted the portion where the shower and toilet is. Looking all grubby in my paint clothes, I went into town to grab a pizza from pizza hut. That’s how things roll when remodeling; nothing elaborate. After we had finished eating, I went back to work painting. This time I changed it up. ‘Down Home’ was the new color. Anyone want to make a guess what color it was? Brown. Dark Brown. Exciting, I know. I used this color to paint one entry wall to add a little contrast.

There you have it folks, the first tile is about to be laid.

The newly repainted hall bathroom.

A view of the tile thus far. Doesn't it look sharp?

What a difference paint can make on the walls and moldings.

The brown wall.

                                                                                                                                                                                             

March 19

I did some organizing around the house, cleaning the counter, sweeping, and taking down the airbeds we no longer used while Dad worked on tiling. I must say, the tile looks quite fine if I do say so myself. Around 10:45am Nancy picked us up and we went on an afternoon outing. As an artist, she sells some of her work in a shop in Mount Dora which is a suburb of Orlando. Mount Dora is filled with a lot of cute restaurants and shops selling homemade goods, art, and home décor. There are benches on the sidewalk in which men sit while their wives browse the shops. When we arrived at 12:15pm, Nancy took us out to lunch at a place called the Goblin Market. We then went to the shop where she sells her stuff and looked around while she took inventory. We then walked to a nearby cupcake shop where I had a chocolate peanut butter cream cupcake. It was fabulous. Dad and Nancy got gelato and ice cream at a nearby shop. After walking around a little bit more we made the drive home. We arrived around 4:30 and both dad and I took a much needed nap. It was positively delightful. Dad tiled while I painted the living room. It was 10:45pm by the time I had the brush and roller cleaned up. I just have to throw this out there as a warning: if you are a snow lover, this is not the place for you. Most days it has been sunny and in the 70’s.

A view of the tile from the hall bathroom.

Finishing up in the laundry room.

This my friends, is Nancy, my lovely neighbor.

Mount Dora

My wonderful chocolate peanut butter cream cupcake.

The freshly painted living room.

This is the closest we get to snow around here.

March 20

It was yet another day of painting for me and another day of tiling for my dad. I think we can both say that we are both sore. My dad is stiff from having to get up and down frequently and my right hand has been sore for the past few days from all the painting. Alas, there is still more of both projects to do so our soreness is not bound to go away anytime soon. Before making ramen for lunch, I sanded the kitchen cabinets twice in order to get them ready to be painted. After lunch, I primed them. Again, I must say, paint can make such a big difference. I’m excited to see how they will turn out when they are done. I then moved to the hall bathroom to prime the vanity (I had sanded it a few days before). All this time, Dad cut and laid tile. Tiling is quite a job, especially when you are doing it at an angle. He has to measure and cut around each door frame, against the walls, and in the closets. It is going to look fabulous when it is done. After we both cleaned up, we drove to Ocala. We had dinner at Bob Evans (comparable to Perkins or Denny’s). It was great. I had two thick pieces of french toast, two eggs, three sausages, and a large serving a potatoes. Oh my, was I full by the time I was done! I ate all but ½ a sausage which my dad ate. I tell you, when you work hard, you get hungry. We then went to Home Depot to get the remaining tile. And now I sit, on a rainy Florida evening, by a fire.

The kitchen cabinets sanded and ready to prime.

After priming the kitchen cabinets. Don't they look great?

As a kid, on the back of a cereal box or in magazines there were two pictures that looked the same but you were to find the differences between the two. Can you do the same for these pictures? What have we done so far in the kitchen?

To cut tile like this takes skill.