Out of Control

As my friends know, I like to do my renovations "myself". Today I have a very slow crew of 2 installing marble slabs to the walls in my main bathroom. One of them broke a pipe connection and now we await the plumber to come and weld another piece on.
Now my family have been quick to dislike my taste in white tile walls or even limestone. What they were really saying is that no one else will pay money for a plain white bathroom. It has been a private preferrance for years and I won't likely change any time soon. So as a way of upgrading my plain white bathroom into something more luxurious I have men installing marble.
I could have had white tile in there a week ago, and I wouldn't have played with the pipes.
Though I'm sure the wait will be worth it I will need to tack an extra $4000. to the price to break even on the reno of just one little shower. After 2 hrs the plummer has finally arrived.
The new windows have been ordered and will be installed sometime in July. No I will not install them myself. I know my limits. I can't have new tub surround installed until the window over the tub is replaced. I'm beginning to think limestone will be just as pretty and soooooooooooo much cheaper. Besides I can do it "myself".
I did find some beautiful cork tile for the main bath and wish I had found it before I replaced the tile in the ensuite. Now when the crew is gone I can mix up 50 lbs of self levelling cement and then seal it and install cork tiles. Then the new toilet which is sitting in boxes in my sun room can be installed; towel bars go in last and I'm ready for company. Come and try out the new shower.
In the mean time I am hearing a variety of cuss words coming from the next room. I hope that means they are making progress. At least I hear a blow torch, but now the smoke detector is sounding, and 2 guys are loitering in the hall. It's a lovely day for a walk to the beach. I doubt they would miss me.

Past the Half Way mark!

There's no going back now! The floors are finished, electrical is mostly done, and the door trim is being installed today. The new toilet and all three sinks work well without any leaks and the sun room is scraped down to the ply wood. It's beginning to feel homey if not mine. I have great neighbours here which is a special gift in this world of transients. My poor nails are growing back after days of filing them down. "more work than removing acrylic nails".
I'll have to get the kids to show me how to upload some photos on this site.
My other place may never rent with the market flooded in White Rock, so we may have ourselves a summer place to take inflatable mattresses or refurnish it in modern Sally-Ann. I'll decide that over the next few weeks. It could be a really fun summer.

Save Your Nails?

I have been feeling the need to express my feminine side lately. Plumbers putty and sawdust are definitely not part of my favourite make-up ritual so I had my nails "done". For the first time in my life I had gel nails installed on my digits. My daughter had hers done at Christmas and couldn't say enough about them so I jumped in with both hands. She never told me that her fingers were tender for days after as where mine. Has any one done research on this stuff? They look a little pretentious but I think I may have found a great way to protect my own nails while installing drains and flooring. Who knew? While I will not likely be having these handy scratchers reinstalled they have already protected my own nails and maintained my womanly image. Oh yah, the Mango bubble bath from the Body Shop really helps after a long day playing with teflon tape. Tonight I get to sleep in my own bed again until the weekend when I will repeat my circuit to the island again. The floors are nearly done and it is time to book the movers.

Home is where the heart is!

Last week I started remodelling my next home. It is a messy and painful way to nest. I have the cuts and bruises to prove it. Though many and even most think I am odd I am sleeping better than I have in more than a year. That's about when my current home was finished. The icing on the cake is that this is the first home I have bought alone. There are no old memories hidden in every closet; I'm sure I will bring many with me. I will choose where they fit and when to enjoy them. The best joy of all is being able to see my own beautiful grandsons whenever they want. They aren't constrained by socially acceptable behavior, but love me as much as I love them.
Tomorrow I take another load of memories with me and get to help install my new kitchen. I hope I can sleep tonight with all the excitement.

It's a Done Deal

I finally went and did something I only dreamed of doing. I actually bought something in a buyers market. Our motto used to always be Buy High Sell Low; at least that's the way it seemed to work.
The condo I found is a 55 and over building so it will be quiet, but I guess the cat is out of the bag on my age. It is 250 square feet bigger than my current place so that in itself is worth the disclosure of my well guarded secret. The icing on the cake for me and the kids is that I am a 3 min walk from them. My son-in-law has not verbalized his thoughts on this so I must assume he is "ecstatic" about this too.
The rental agent for this place will be here tomorrow, so I have a last minute scramble to make it look as valuable as possible. I've decided not to rent until Mar 1 which I hope will give me plenty of time to get all the details out of the way including income tax before I move. Wish me luck on the latter!

To Rent or Not to Rent.

I have been waffling over selling my condo as opposed to putting it back on the rental circuit. Well today my tax assessment came in and if my accountant doesn't have a stroke I think I may just be renting it out in a couple of months. The assessment is substantially lower than it had been which will lower the asking price substantially. So even if the market is better it will be a challenge to find a house in Victoria in my range. However the condo market is a buyers market there so I can slip into a much larger unit and actually increase my income as well. Logic tells me this may be the best option. That will make the kids very happy and I think it will fit well with my short term goals. If anyone knows of a renter with a good credit rating looking for a beach condo let me know.

Christmas Past

While my daughters remember Christmases past with much the same fondness as I, being alone for two days while they shopped in the insane traffic left me with baking and decorating. This was my time to experiment with things like pate and shortbread. This year we had neither from my kitchen. They didn't mention this in their memoires. I miss the poker games too, and enjoyed the reintroduction this year with Mark bringing his set to Victoria. I have kept mine in my car for 2 yrs now, just in case.
Janice and Rien didn't make it to Victoria after all for the fun and food, I hope next year will provide us with better weather. They missed a wonderful time with the boys and relatives. The highlight of my day yesterday was when Jack scolded Cameron not to touch something that he has been warned many times not to touch but has been fingering all week. He was so timely with his advice.
After eating yet another fine meal at Gord and Trudy's I 'slid' my car down their driveway, giving me a jolt to my blood pressure that was just fun. I managed to miss the two cars parked across the street and headed for the ferry to make my way home to laundry, cleaning out the freezer, and catching up with friends.
I have been filled again with the mystery of Christmas and will attempt to translate the inspiration through the new year. Rick has celebrated another Christmas in heaven with our Father who has given us the real reason for the season.