New Kitchen Space

This is the remodeled space that used to be a doorway into the master bath from the kitchen. I've only tried to go through there 3-4 times, which isn't too bad after having a door there for 26 years!! :)

Old Cards...

I have always saved cards... birthday, anniversary, Christmas, thank you, get well, sympathy, Easter, thinking of you, etc. Most are from such special people in our lives (like this one to Jon from Mimi)... As I am cleaning things out, I have a huge conundrum... what to do with them? Do I keep them?

Your thoughts, please!!

Back to Detroit...

Well, it's really quiet around here tonight. Jon has been home all summer and left this morning to head back to school for his Junior year. No bass sounds coming from behind his door. The house is essentially dark except for the room I'm in. Max is pitter-pattering around looking for Jon from room to room. It's just weird!! Oh, well. I guess we'll be back to normal soon, but it was so nice having him home this summer! It's probably the last one because he will hopefully have internships from now on until he gets a "real" job. Time really flies, but I am so proud of him and can't wait to see what he creates this next year.

Here's a recent photo we took last night before he left. I'm so blessed with two amazing children!!

Grand Finale...

OK... here's the finished Master Bath. I'm pretty happy with it, although I am going to have to get used to such an enormous shower! In fact, it sort of echos in the bathroom now. :)

It's hard to believe that it's been just about a year since the kitchen was finished. I guess I need to figure out what's next! Ahhhh.... I think painting and/or flooring. Probably should do painting first so if there's any drips or drops, I won't have to worry so much! :)

Anyway... let me know what you think. :)

Funny Pic

Jon was bored and got the bright idea to shave his head last night. In the process of doing that, he started going right down the middle. He looks so much like his dad in this picture, I just did a double-take. :)

One closet down...

Well, I have started a new project... cleaning closets and clearing out clutter. I have been in my house since 1983 and many of my closets have accumulated sooooooo much "stuff" over the years. So, I am on a mission to clean out and discard (or share) the things I haven't used in years. For example, today I started in the study and found a crate (literally) full of markers, pens, pencils, rulers. paper and other arts/crafts project materials. So... I really don't do those kinds of things much now that the kiddos are grown, so I'm giving it away. Hopefully, it will be of benefit to someone who really needs it. Wow... this closet looks MUCH better now. Next stop... the bookcase and filing cabinet in that room. :)

Productive Day!

Well, today was a really productive day. The tile guys nearly finished setting the tile (just a few trim pieces remain) and finished grouting about half of it. I know they were so tired after working about 10 hours. See updated shower picture below...

They also added drywall to eliminate the door that was between the kitchen and the master bath. Now instead of having three doors into my little bathroom, there is only one from the bedroom. MUCH BETTER!! The first photo is the view from inside the bathroom. The second is the view from the kitchen. They will be adding open shelving to complete the space on the kitchen side and will finish out the wainscoting and chair rail on the master bath side to tie it in to the existing finishes. Can't wait to see it all finished (and I hope I don't miss the door into the kitchen too much.)

Then, after I got my hair done this afternoon, I did a little accessory shopping for the guest half-bath and found this cute corner shelf at Hobby Lobby (30% off!!).

I found the fun round mirror at World Market a few weeks ago for 50% off! Yay for finding good deals!! (Just wait til you see the mirror I found for the master bath. I found a great deal. Even Jen could hardly believe it.)

More to come on Monday or Tuesday. :)

Sneak Peak...

Here are a few sneak peaks of the progress the guys are making. They are supposed to finish the tiling and grout tomorrow and painting and electrical on Monday and Tuesday. Then comes the fun part of accessorizing! :)

Sometimes it has to look worse before it gets better...

Well, more big steps took place today. They dry-walled in the door from the half-bath into the shower and took out the door that went from the kitchen into the master bath. They also textured the half-bath, tore out the old shower tile, poured the new shower pan and moved the plumbing in the shower from the side to the back. Whew! They were BUSY!! But... it's looking pretty icky at the moment. The pretty part will be coming in the next day or two. YAY!!! :)

Good Weekend!

I'm so-o-o-o-o-o looking forward to this weekend! The contractor is coming today to install new counter tops in my master bath and to start the process of separating the "jack and jill" master into a half bath, plus a master. Here are some "before" pictures (after the old wallpaper was torn down (thanks, Jon!!) Hopefully, I will have "after" pics soon!!

P,S. Happy b-day weekend, Jen! Love you!!

Dance!!

I'm just one of millions who watched this season of "So You Think You Can Dance" but I just LOVED it. I am so excited that Jeanine won, but I loved all of them. They were totally awesome and so much fun to watch. I guess I have never really thought about how amazing some choreographers are, but the routines they designed were entertaining and often breathtaking and moving. I have a whole new appreciation for the art of dance. LOVED IT!! (and I'll definitely be a fan for next season, too!!)

:)

Every Monday Matters...

I bought a new book today and I'm really excited about it. It's called "Every Monday Matters" by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza. The premise of the book is that we have the power to make a difference and it can be as small as taking the first step to do something positive. So here goes... I am going to try to post something new each Monday as I go along this journey. I hope you'll try it with me!!

Tomorrow is the day for making a list of "what matters most" and comparing that to how I spend my time each week. Then, prioritizing activities that are required and those that are optional and aligning them with "what matters most." Bottom line, I think the message is to spend time doing the important things and minimizing just wasting time. After my lazy Saturday yesterday, this is really hitting home!

Wish me luck as I start week 1 of 52!! :)

Feeling a little guilty, but...

Wow... This was a totally lazy Saturday and I'm feeling a little guilty for wasting a perfectly good Saturday on doing virtually nothing productive. I woke up at 4 am for no reason and then turned down the a/c and went back to sleep. Woke up at 8 and checked my email, started watching a made-for-tv movie and just chilled for a couple of hours. Then, I fell back to sleep until 1 pm (YIKES!) Got up (again), took a shower, started my laundry and went back to my room and started watching another movie. At 7-ish, I made breakfast for dinner for Jon and me (with some extra scrambled eggs for the dogs) and then did the dishes and finished my laundry. (Actually, the last load is still in the dryer.)

Oh, well, tomorrow will be more productive! I definitely can't say I didn't get enough rest this weekend!! :)