Master Bath Remodel

Well as some of you may recall, we started bathroom remodel number two over a month ago.  We have now gotten as far as gutting and reframing (more wet rot damage as was predicted).

After renovating the last bathroom and picking all the materials and finishes, I must admit I have a kind of PTSS (post-traumatic stress syndrome) having made some tiny miscalculations and regrets in judgement that resulted in my being less than 100% satisfied with the bathroom.  Nothing to do with the workmanship, which was amazing, but mainly little niggling details.  I still love the overall look, but there are certain things I would've done differently - hind sight is always 20/20, eh?! 

In any case, I now live in fear of making incorrect decisions with regards to bathroom remodel number 2, which has caused a delay in progress.  My guy can't do anything more until I make decisions and purchases, hence my need to 'think it through' on my blog :).

So here's my bathroom remodel inspiration.  I want the bathroom to be a mix of feminine and masculine, rustic and polished.  Am also wanting to tie it in with the rest of the house and other bathroom, so kinda' traditional with a twist?  White beadboard ceiling plus lots of grays, whites and natural/beachy/rustic wood.

We are going to have a white beadboard panelled and vaulted ceiling kinda' like the one below (but no rustic beams planned).  I also like the look of the concrete slab sink/vanity top and the rustic looking vanity base.

Here's another natural vanity base with a marble top I think.

I also like the weathered gray color and the white vanity top in the picture below.

As for flooring, I think we will go with tile this time around ... less worry/maintenance in a bathroom.  I love the look of the herringbone pattern such as the one seen below. 

The real showstopper in the bathroom will be our freestanding bathtub beneath a brand new enlarged window!

Here's the one I've zero'd in on because it merges both my husband's and my wishes for the tub.  Basically, my husband prefers really modern lines and I prefersome feminine curves so I think this tub, made of resin rather than acrylic (i.e. it's the Cadillac of freestanding tubs, people!), is a good compromise. 

Well, here's hoping that we can nail down a design plan and get things going soon.  Will keep you all posted, friends!!

 

Some Time in Texas

Well Lily and I just returned from a nice little trip to Texas where we managed to surprise my mom at her surprise 70th birthday party and celebrate my nephew's graduation from High School!! 

I think the highlight of the suprise party for my mom was the presence of her two sisters who flew in from Kansas the night before.  Here they are, Aunt Ardy, my mom, and Aunt Joy celebrating the beautiful bond of sisterhood.

During our trip, Lily got to spend a lot of time cuddling up with Granpa (below) who was recovering from a recent medical procedure.  She is totally Grandpa's girl. 

And here I am with the graduate, Alexei, at his celebratory pool party.  He'll head to Southwestern University in the Fall and I am so proud of and excited for him. 

I got back to San Diego just in time to celebrate Memorial Day with my family.  We had a lovely walk together in the morning.

Followed by some fabulous beach time.  This was our first beach outing of the summer (at La Jolla Shores) and it didn't disappoint. 

It is so fun to watch Lily as she begins to appreciate the beach.  She played in the sand, built sandcastles and even enjoyed having her feet buried :).

For my closing note I wanted to share a poem that my dad wrote for my mom some time ago for Valentine's Day I believe.  I came across it while I was home and thought it was worth sharing :).

One Red Rose

by Tommy Jenkins

One red rose represents the signularity of my love for you.

(The rose will last only a week or two but my love for you will last one lifetime and beyond.)

One red rose represents the oneness of our lives together and the singleness of my devotion to you.

One red rose represents one heart that loves you deeply.

One red rose means I love you  more than words can say.

One red rose is all my pocket book could get you!

I love you,
Tom

Mother's Day & House in Chaos

Wow, it appears I'm now on a 'once a month' posting plan.  What's next, once a quarter?  In any case, I don't have anything in particular to blog about today, so I thought I'd put out an update on what's been going on in my life ...

MOTHER'S DAY

Had a lovely Mother's Day this past Sunday being 'celebrated' :).  Chris got up with Lily, allowing me some blissful extra moments in bed.  When I got up, I found a table set for breakfast, but no sign of the hubbs and little beanette.  Alas, there was nothing to do, but run a nice hot bath and relax in the tub with Sunset magazine :).  They returned with breakfast and coffee from Little Italy - a perfect way to start the day!

Later we met up with friends at one of our favorite places, Jimmy's Famous.

Lily gives mommy a Mother's Day kiss.

Aunti Ana holds Lily while she 'blows kisses'.

Sitting on Auntie Andrea's lap with bestie, Bianca.

And here's my mom, the most beautiful and lovely person on the planet!! 

ESCAPISM

According to Wikipedia, Escapism is mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relieve persisting feelings of depression or general sadness.

Yeah, that generally sums up my condition as of late.  I am doing everything imagineable to escape from the chaos that is my house right now.  Remember those previous bathroom rennovation pics?  Well, now that the bathroom is 99% complete (see picture below), I couldn't resist forging ahead like a bulldozer!!

Didn't it turn out perty??  I love the white subway tiles, new window, custom vanity with vessel sink, etc. Like I said, we're only 99% so I still plan to put up the 'finished finished' pics in a subsequent post :).

In any case, the rennovation bug bit me and I decided to dive right in and pile on some additional projects ... just in time for our backyard project, that's been in the works for ages, to finally get going.  So yeah, I've got a lot on my plate right now managing multiple house projects AND a crazy toddler!!!

Here's our backyard project well under way.  Previous termite-eaten rotten deck has been ripped away and new deck is well under way - yay!!

Deep built-in bookshelves to store all (some?) of our books!!  I designed these and our super duper handyman built them for us.  I plan to do a 'gallery wall' above.

And here's bathroom number two, our master bathroom.  Yeah, it looks pretty bad because the previous shower was apparently leaking for years.  Whoo hoo we have to reframe that entire side (do I hear a cha-ching, cha-ching from our contractor? yes, I do).  It will likely be in this state for a while, as I now have the task of selecting and ordering all the components and I don't know when I'll ge to it!

Oh yeah, and we ordered new windows ... that didn't quite fit ... so they've been re-ordered.  That was an ordeal, but I have to give credit to Home Depot who were very good about righting the situation.  And I didn't even have to fight them for it!

In any case, it's all led to my current state of escapism ... as in, get me out of this house and all this chaos immediately please, which today lead to these new sandals ... and a few other things!!  Some retail therapy never hurt anyone, eh??  And yeah, yeah, I know I need a pedicure, but that is a very low priority at this stage :).

So on that note, and as can hear my daughter is up, I will sign off for now.  Happy Wednesday to all, we are half-way to our weekend, hooray!!

Radio silence?

I have to apologize today for my radio silence over the past few weeks!  It hasn't been uncharacteristically crazy, I've just been lazy and preoccupied I suppose, but hopefully I can get back into the swing of things over the next few weeks with more regular postings!!

I don't have a really major topic for discussion today so I thought I'd quickly give an update on our bathroom renovation (yeah, um, we're still working on that!) and then share a friend's blog with you.

First off, our bathroom has come a LONG way from the pictures I posted a few weeks ago of the 'black hole' (see said pictures here).  I know the pictures I'm about to show you won't seem that impressive (I seriously need to work on my photog skills!), but in any case ...

We have a new window - yay!  This bathroom window is actually somewhat close to the street, so I think the upgrade to 'frosted' glass was a good one :).  You can also see my classic white subway tiles coming along, and the new chrome shower head. 

And here is my custom vanity base ... well, part of it at least!  It has a drawer and will be topped off with a carrera marble top and vessel sink, which I think will look superb.  I am so thrilled to have opted for a custom vanity base since it saved me hundreds compared to the ones I was looking at - so take that, Pottery Barn ;).

Anyway, hopefully the next pictures I share will be of the completed project, tho the final details (e.g. towels, pictures, etc.) are probably a long way off!  In any case, hopefully the bathroom will be usable in the next week or two!

And now to share my friend's blog.  Her name is Meredith and she is one of the smartest mommies I know.  One of the smartest ladies I know in general actually!  She shares her little kernels of knowledge with the rest of us through her blog, The (Over) Thinking Mom.  It's a good read, informative and witty, so I hope you can take a minute to visit her site. 

So that's it for today, friends.  My parents arrive tomorrow and their guest room is currently in a state of disaster due to my purging other areas of the house over the weekend!!  Do you have a room like that?  One that is pretty much a storage unit for all intents and purposes until someone comes to visit?  In any case, I better get to it while my daughter is still sleeping :). Have a great day, friends!!

Daily Life as SAHM to a 20 month old

SAHM, from the title, for those of you who may not know, stands for 'Stay at home mom'.  That was greek to me before I had Lily so thought it was worth putting it out there :).
In any case, I constantly struggle with juggling day to day life and activities with a toddler in tow, but thought I'd take a few minutes to let you all peek into our little world and what a typical day is like for us.  Keep in mind, our typical day is constantly changing, as Lily continues to grow and change. 

For now though, a typical day might look as follows.

7:00 a.m. I get up and, on a good day, find that my husband has already cooked breakfast for us :).  We have about 30 minutes to sit and eat together before Lily gets up and has her breakfast.  Then Lily and I get ready for our day and walk our dog, Sushi.

8:30 a.m. after our morning walk Lily gets some room time (i.e. I put on music and let her play with puzzles etc in her room) while I tidy up, check emails, etc.  Then I pack a bag of snacks for the road.

9:00 a.m. we usually head out, sometimes to the gym, but other times to run errands or just get out and enjoy some San Diego sunshine. 

Here she is riding the carousel and looking a bit nervous on a recent morning outing to Seaport Village in downtown San Diego. 

Around 11 a.m. we have lunch either out, or back home, and then Lily goes down for her daily nap.  These days she usually sleeps from around 11:30 - 1:00 p.m., which is heaven for me since she was a 'cat napper' up until recently!!  During her nap I try and get stuff done such as pay bills or make calls, or I blog, as I'm doing now :).

1:00 p.m. After her nap Lily usually plays happily for a while as I do housework, scheduling, meal planning, etc.  Then I pack another bag of snacks, let Sushi out to pee, and we head out again. 

2:30 p.m. I try and do something fun with Lily every day, whether it's heading to the playground, the zoo, swimming at the YMCA, or meeting up for a play date with friends.  Afterwards, there's usually another errand to be run.

Here's Lily 'giving noses' to Janie, a 50 year old female orangutang at the San Diego zoo.

3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Lately, Lily has been eating her 'big meal' of the day around while we're out, but she'll have another light meal once we're home, around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. 

Here she is discovering for the first time ever what her mommy has known for a long time, that Ruby's 1950's style diner in Mission Valley Mall is the BEST place to go for a late afternoon burger and milkshake :).

Around 6: 00 p.m. after dinner at home, she'll have her one daily bottle of milk, her little luxury.  I allow her a bottle in the evening because we brush her teeth right afterward.

6:30 or 7:00 p.m. is bath time and then Lily gets story time with Daddy before bedtime at 7:30 p.m.  I'm usually cooking dinner for my husband and myself at this point, or at least that's what I should be doing ;).

At 7:30 p.m. we gather up her 'bing bings' (i.e. her pink teddy bear and two pink fuzzy blankets that she must have at bedtime!) and sing 'Twinkle Twinkle' as we lay her down in bed.  I love that these days she goes right off to sleep, or at least doesn't fuss or cry when it's time to go to bed.  I know this may not last, so I'm relishing it now :).

Well, I don't want to spend her whole nap time blogging, so I must dash and check off some of my other to do items for the day!!  Hope you all have a wonderful day, friends!!!

Bathroom Update: there's a black hole in our house!

Some of you may be curious to see how our guest bathroom renovation is coming along, so I thought I'd provide some photos :).

Here it is right before we began.  Not so bad, right?  Honestly, this is why we figured we'd wait to rennovate, that is until it started rotting!!

And here it is now, on day 4 of gutting the place!  Yikes, it looks like something out of a horror film!  You can literally see right down to the earth under our house!  The whole floor and partway up the walls around the bath was completely rotten.  G said it's probably been leaking ever since it was installed back in the '80's!! 

In any case, I've been firming up my design choices and shopping up a storm online while G has been diligently working on the renovation. 

So far I've ordered:

Double-sconce from Restoration Hardware.  I wanted a single sconce on either side, but alas there wasn't enough room.

We changed gears and decided to go with a square rather than round sink.  I'm excited to see how it works in our mostly feminine bathroom. 

The faucet I originally wanted had an 8-10 week backorder so I opted for a simple yet elegant alternative by Moen.  I'm now convinced it will look better anyway!  I think the other one, which was quite a bit more ornate, might have overwhelmed the small vanity and sink!

It took forever to find a basic carerra marble vanity top for use with a vessel sink, but I finally found this one by Pegasus - phew!

And yes, we purchased this rustic reclaimed wood mirror from Lowes.  I still love it.

So anyway, that's about it on the update.  Can't wait to post pics of the final project :).  Until the next time my friends, have a great day!!

Guest Bathroom Re-do

Some of you may remember from a previous post that I've been planning to rennovate our master bathroom for some time now.  Well, fast-forward several months of procrastinating later and now it's our guest bathroom that is at the top of my list! 

We had some electric work done on our home and the electrician mentioned that our vintage 80's jacuzzi tub was leaking internally.  I smiled and thanked him for the info and wondered how long I could ignore the issue.  Answer: about a month.  Evidence: the smell of mold and the appearance of bloated wood.

The timing was perfect, however, I must say, as I've recently found my favorite go to handyman ever! An engineer by training and a reformed general contractor who now enjoys the more laid back life that a handyman job offers.  G, as I will call him (his real name shall be withheld until after he is done with my bathroom!), is professional, courteous and capable, and best of all he's actually affordable!! 

In planning my master bathroom renovation I gathered several estimates for labor alone, all of which were exceeded the $10,000 mark.  Really??  Just for labor?  That doesn't even include a faucet, people, just the intangible elbow grease of the contractor. 

So, when my new favorite handyman said he could do the renovation if I wanted to take on designing the bathroom and selecting all the materails I hired him on the spot!  This was Wednesday.  It's now Saturday and we begin work Monday - yikes!!  That means I need to firm up my design and have everything selected and on order asap.  Hence, this blog posting where I will detail all my plans :). 

So once again I referenced my favorite site, Pinterest.com, for ideas and inspiration.  I then researched some of my ideas further using Google Image search.  I gathered most of the bathroom pics below from one of these sites. 

IMHO (in my humble opinion), the vanity or sink area makes the most sense as a starting point for any bathroom renovation.  Due to limited space, I was considering a clean and classic pedestal sink, but my husband thought it would be too old-fashioned.  Instead, wev'e decided to go with a custom vanity to be made by, you guessed it, best handyman ever!  I am now in search of a perfect granite or marble remnant, which will become the vanity top.  We plan to have a vessel sink, similar to the one in the picture above. 

Our custom vanity will (hopefully) be similar to the one in this picture (above), only painted white.  I'm not sure we'll actually get wood details, or drawers, but it should resemble a small table with a marble (or quartz or granite) top.  I really like the openess of this style vanity.  Solid pieces have such a heavy look and this is clean and light and airy, a must for our small spaces

We also plan to have a wall mounted faucet such as the one you see above, and I love the rustic wood of the mirror, a nice juxtaposition to the very chic wall sconces!

And here's another custom vanity very similar to the look we hope to achieve.  I love the classic elegance of this bathroom and the extra thick baseboards, another item on my wish list!  The hardwood floors in the picture are also very similar to our current bathroom floors, which we hope to retain in the design.  Why change such a classic and beautiful floor? 

We plan to buy a 'drop in' bathtub and have G do custom panelling along the front like the tub in the pic above.  Doesn't it look classy?  This bathroom showcases a couple other classic bathroom ideas we plan to incorporate into our design including beadboard along the walls (ours will hit a bit lower) and classic white subway tiles in the bathtub surround.  Seriously, you can't go wrong with beadboard and subway tiles - ever!!

Once I had a fairly good idea of the look I was going for, I set out to find the perfect pieces.  I searched sites like Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Lowes, Lamps Plus, Home Depot, Overstock, eFaucets, etc. 

Kohler Memoirs toilet for $299 at Lowes.  Because every bathroom needs a toilet.

A beautiful and classic 'goose neck' wall-mounted faucet from eFaucets for $363.  I fell in love with these 'goose neck' faucets when I saw them on Restoration Hardware's site, but then found this comparable one for $200 less!

Vessel sinks can be found for as cheap as $78, but for some reason I'm really liking the look of this one from eFaucets for $188.  Really they're all just plain white bowls, but some have more appeal than others, don't ask me why!! 

And these gorgeous little sconces are from Restoration Hardware.  $85 each doesn't even cover the lamp shade, but I'm pretty sure they're worth it.  Don't you agree??

And now for our dash of rustic elegance we found this gorgeous reclaimed wood mirror at, you'll never guess ... Lowes!  At only $44 this piece is a true bargain!!  I think my chic little sconces will look absolutely sublime on either side of it.   

So that's the design in a nutshell. I can't wait to see how it all turns out!!  Stay tuned for before and after photos coming soon!!  Hope you all are enjoying your weekend and happy Saint Patty's day to all you Irish friends out there :). 

Easy Lunch: Stuffed Baked Potato

Here in America we like to keep our baked potatoes pretty simple.  Butter, cheese, sour cream, chives, bacon bits or all of the above for a calorie-laden 'loaded' baked potato.  During one of my trips to England, however, my eyes were opened to the numerous baked potato possibilities by the good folks at Marks & Spencers Cafe :). 

Marks & Spencers, for those of you who don't know, is the quintessential British shop, selling everything from clothes and furniture to high-end groceries and prepared foods.  The top floor of the large department store houses a wonderful little cafe where you will find half of the British elderly population taking their morning or afternoon tea.  They also have lunch items on offer such as sandwiches, salads and the aforementioned variety of stuffed baked potatoes!!

My British in-laws have been here visiting for the past ten days so the other day when my mother-in-law (MIL) and I were contemplating lunch from a very empty cupboard and fridge (after several days of skipping the needed grocery shop), we decided on baked potatoes.  I planned to put out the usual toppings, but then my MIL whipped up a wonderful stuffing that I thought I would share with you all.

Ingredients:

1 can tuna (I prefer solid white albacore)

1 small can whole kernel corn

diced celery

diced bell pepper (preferably red or orange)

mayonnaise (about 1/4 cup)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and spoon over baked potato.  This would also make a lovely sandwich stuffing. 

Another one of my favorite healthy lunches right now is a baked sweet potato with cottage cheese, sliced kalamata olives and sliced jalapenos.  I know this may sound like a weird pregnancy craving, but it is seriously amazing.  Try it, I dare you :).

 

There are so many other options for stuffing a baked potato for a healthy and satisfying lunch or even a light dinner.  Try tuna, cheese and capers or sliced radishes.  Baked potato smothered in baked beans is another British favorite.  The baked potato really does make a quick easy and delicious option.  That's all for today, friends, have a great day!

Mantelscape Before and After

Yesterday, after a morning conversation with my husband about 'cutting back on our spending' I decided that rather than pining for all new furniture and decor in my den, as I've been obsessing about for the past few weeks, I should make do with what I have. 

So first things, first, it was time to declutter the space.  Above is the result of my efforts.  Decluttered, but still a bit blah, right?  In my defense, since moving into this home almost a year ago, we have focused so much on major projects (new roof, tenting for termites, electrical issues out the wazoo) that I haven't really been able to focus much attention on the interior, as you can probably see from this photo ;). 

After decluttering I tried to envision what small (read cheap) additions might make the space more warm and inviting.  I decided it was in need of some greenery and also some better decor above the mantle.  Speaking of the mantle, the style of that corner fireplace has always bugged me!  I really dislike the brown slate surround and the fact that it's so oddly shaped and positioned in the corner of the room.  In any case, I decided to stop obsessing about it and try and make it look a bit nicer.

For any of you on Pinterest or anyone who looks at home decor magazines, you already know that round mirrors are everywhere right now!!  Case in point, the two pics below, which I snagged off of Pinterest.com

And don't those candlesticks look like the ones I DIY'd in my previous post, The miracle that is spraypaint?

In my den redecorating dreaming I had been eyeing up a set of round mirrors on HomeDecorators.com, but at $214 plus shipping, the set was a bit out of reach. 

 So then imagine my delight when, while at Home Depot yesterday, I stumbled upon a Martha Stewart set of five round mirrors for less than $16.00??  This in addition to a $10.00 fern plant really made a difference, don't you think??   

And here's another view, in case you didn't fully appreciate it in the above pic :).

So that's it for now.  I still have a long way to go to get the place looking like my dream home, but every little bit of effort helps to move it in the right direction :).  Have a wonderful day, friends!!