Bathroom update

As you can see, we're not the only ones who want to get their house back! This is Abby's standard procedure if I'm home and not letting her out of her confined area. It's also why we're going to have to sand and re-stain this bookcase. She is cute but a handful.

This is our progress pic as of today. Shockingly, it looks like some actual progress has been made although he did finish grouting the floor yesterday about noon and called it done for the day whereas I was thinking he could go ahead an move the light fixture, fix the drywall for the old medicine cabinet and inset the new medicine cabinets then grout and call it a day. Not so much in his planning. Apparently he's not a multi-tasking kind of thinker. More of a grout, wait, paint, wait, etc. We're now taking bets on whether he'll actually finish by next Friday. I'd like to be optimistic but there's nothing in this experience that would cause me to feel that way... seriously, I can't take another week of this mess!

Otherwise, it's a pretty good 4th with a brisket slowly baking, baked beans ready to be popped into the oven, only decision now is to make a baked good for dessert or stick to sorbet. Hope you're having a terrific holiday weekend!

Bathroom Madness

Okay, I have decided the guy working on our bathroom is trying to drive me insane. He called on Tuesday to outline the plan for finishing our bathroom this week. Important reminder, he thought he would be done Tuesday. So yesterday's items on the agenda were to center the light fixture over the vanity, grout the tile and install the toilet. Actual accomplishments? To remove 3 tile off the 1/2 wall around the bathtub. Honest to deity of your choosing, if he would've been here last night I might have siced the dogs on him. This is clearly poetic license as the puppies are mostly here for cuddling and Abby just sort of glares menacingly. I'm not exaggerating that we can't tell that they were here at all.

What's wrong with people? If I went to work everyday and the only thing I ever accomplished was to put up a graphic once a week there would be hell to pay. The good news is that I had planned to take an extra day this week for the holiday, mostly to enjoy the new bathroom and clean the house, but I'm starting to be just as content to lay into these people like there's no tomorrow. Rolland actually regretted going to work today since it meant he could be home to watch. Rolland tried to prep them on his time here that they really didn't want to have to deal with me. Yes, I'm fully prepared that we may be finishing the bathroom this weekend which I'm almost hoping for that outcome. We actually work our asses off on these kind of projects and I could finally take a freakin' bath!

If you want to learn how to get rich in the construction business, here is my advice:
1. Show up on time and when you say you will
2. Accomplish enough each day that your employers can clearly tell you were there
3. Do not cut tile inside the master bathroom therefore alleviating the gross water dripping across the bed room floor and covering said employers bedroom in a fine layer of tile dust every damn day
4. Do not leave your snacks, soda and wet clothing laying on their shelves and their bed
5. If you discuss some specific things that are to be done, write them down so you do not call them 3 times during their work day to confirm that you are doing exactly the wrong thing

I think I'm done venting to the universe now. I plan to continue to sit quietly in my studio until they head over at which point I pounce then promptly leave to go by Eco friendly cleaning products and some kind of good smelling something to put in the bathroom since it now reeks. We refuse to wonder what's causing the smell.

I hope you have an incredible 4th of July.

Happy Anniversary and bathroom update

First off, today is our 14th wedding anniversary and his love for R2D2 and legos is still strong...well, I think he likes me and the puppies too. :)

On the bathroom front, today was the day they had hoped to have the bathroom finished. As you can see from the pics that is unlikely given that they just finished the tile in the shower yesterday. That only leaves the floor tile, fixing the baseboards, grouting, putting the vanity top on, moving the light fixture, painting and adding in the linen cabinet, adding the medicine cabinets, fixing the drywall, priming and painting the walls then cleaning up all their stuff out of the garage. It seems unlikely this will happen today.

Marie Pages

This the Marie page I mailed last week and several bits and bobs are drying on the new one I'm hoping to mail out tomorrow. Of course, there had to be a "Let Them Eat Cake" pic and I was obsessed with the idea of a Marie cake so this seemed like the perfect fit. It also cemented my love of Copic markers and want to use them on absolutely everything. I also have bathroom pics to update but that will have to wait until the morning. Strangely, there's not that much progress to share. Go figure.

Watched the 2nd Harry Potter with my friend Suzanne since we're on a marathon to be caught up for the premier of the latest on the 15th. I think we'll make it since we're getting in two this week! Even the hubby has enjoyed re-watching. Tomorrow we'll need to play some catch up on the tivo, which is taping the latest Doctor Who as I type (YAY!), or next week won't be pretty.

p.s. Maya is back home and seems to be doing fine. The neurologist couldn't find anything so she's guessing she's one of the rare puppies that decides to start having seizures at 9. Should've known. But she's adorable and sweet so all's forgiven.

Bathroom progress... or lack as seen here

So these are the progress pics for this week. I have to say I'm a little bit underwhelmed by the progress that is not being made here. The guest bathroom seemed incredibly livable when it was going to be two weeks but I'm skeptical that results will materialize incredibly next week and it will be finished. I'll even grant he mentioned it might take three but this is looking like three weeks is even optimistic. I know there has been work going on by the amount of tools packed in front of my closet door making it virtually impossible to get dressed at 6 in the morning. Thank God Rolland has much better coordination or I would be wearing my fuzzy pink Uggs and blue bathrobe to work everyday. Seriously, there better be some plumbing in here next week!

On a much more fun note, my friend Bo and I ventured into a rarely visited (by me) section of Dallas to visit Jimmy's Food Store which was beyond tasty! We had to wait an inordinately long time for Bo's sandwich but this gave us plenty of time to see the guys behind the counter work their magic and to ponder the tastiness that must reside in the huge silver pot on the stove. If you find yourself craving Italian in Big D, this is the place for you.

Our outing also gave me a chance to stumble across this awesome sign

which just gave me even more opportunity to miss Destination Truth and to ponder whether ice cream really would work to lure these beasts out of hiding or if it's best to stick with the cigarettes and rum.

Latest fun

I have been obsessed with Lisa Kaus's Dollies and wanted to take one of her workshops but so far it hasn't been doable with the schedule or the budget. I decided to tackle one on my own and it's been in pieces on my desk for a couple of months but she finally came together. I decided to layer her necklaces just like I would mine and added a little sparkle. I definitely have not mastered Lisa's beautiful glazing and layering, or the limb attachment trickery, but as a studio muse I think she's pretty good.

Now, for my other obsession, charm bracelets. My husband started one for me forever ago which is gold, not the most budget friendly, so I decided to start one in silver for places we've visited (pictured). I'm not sure the chain is going to work since it tends to get tangled but I love all the little collected charms. One of my favorites has to be the carriage from New Orleans and the Sherlock Holmes collection from London. This is giving me the perfect reason to scope out more trips!

Bathroom before and after... day 1 of demo!

Before and after pics as the demo got under way today. I hope it's clear which are which! :)

On the Maya front, she is back to her regular puppy self demanding pets and lots of crying if she can't get us all herded in the right direction. We still made an appoint for the puppy neurologist next Thursday so we'll get the fully skinny then. Hopefully. For now, we're glad to have her back to herself.

Stay tuned for more fun bathroom progress pics. Now, I'm going to bed because I'm beat. I know it's 10pm but I get up early. :)

Never without drama

We came home on Friday and opened the door just as Maya, our Akita, was having a seizure. Thank God Rolland's a nurse and handled it while I willed the vet to say something useful. She had another one on Sat after having gone to the vet and getting blood work then she's just been sluggish for the last day. Tonight we heard back blood work's normal and they gave us a prescription. She's much more herself tonight after having slept all day and so far so good. Apparently they can just develop this problem and it's not always a sign of worse things. I've still put in an email to the puppy neurologist though.

In the meantime, we stuck close to home and I played in my art room. This is the page, front and back, I did for Michelle's Marie book. Kecia graciously hosted a swap for us to do for Marie books but this time we all bought books with ring bindings and did a mass send out of the pages so you just complete a page and send it off. We talked about doing it at Art Nest but never got around to it so I'm glad to finally put my book to good use. It's also helping me work through my girly goody stash in the ribbon and sundries box! The idea is to be over the top with the ribbons, beads, baubles, etc.

I'm still working on going through all of my Chicago pics but here's a link to the New Orleans photos since I can't remember if I posted it previously! I have thrown in a couple of Chicago pics, just to tied you over. :)

Demo on the bathroom starts tomorrow along with all the tweet and before/after updates. Going to be a busy few weeks.

Wings and Hats Controversy

So apparently the Van Cleef and Arpel window designer has not heard all about the wings and hats controversy sweeping through the mixed media world! I loved this vignette in the window along Michigan Ave in Chicago. It was a super fancy shopping district and I was terrified to take the pic. I was convinced security would snatch me up for taking a pic of their window. I worked up the courage to do it when a man walked out of the store and settled in front of the window and eyed all of the passers by. I scurried a way while Rolland laughed and then made fun of me being such a huge chicken. Finally I ran back, snapped my pic and bee lined it out of there. Clearly I decided the pokey was worth the risk to get my winged gentleman photo!

Yikes!

I'm trying to play catch up after my last few busy weekends: New Orleans, Chicago and then bathroom shopping (turns out we're in for a major overhaul! OY!). May was a crazed month with the travel then the work madness. I'm hoping the summer will settle down but I still want to head north for art and shopping with Kecia so it's on the list of things to do this summer.

As for the bathroom, my quest to update the faucets on the ba†htub resulted in finding major leaks in the bath and shower so we bit the bullet and are planning the remodel a year sooner than planned. We called in the re-modeler who lives across the street and he's planning to start on the 15th so we'll be down to 1 ba†hroom until July. At least I'll have something to really look forward to for the 4th!

I promise, next post New Orleans fun, art and then Chicago pics should be ready to go. Until then, this pic sums up our trip to Chicago - self portraits are the way to go when you don't want to bug fellow tourists! Also, before pics of bathroom.

Edited to add: Oh yeah, if anyone can tell me where to find this clock I will be incredibly happy and grateful! It's the blue clock with the red clock face.

First Time Ever!

For the first time since I purchased my camera the memory card is empty! I've gone through and finally gotten the photos in the right folders and processed some of the images into usable sizes. I still need to go through all the New Orleans photos and share those with the ladies from the trip. In the mean time, I'm planning to fill the card back up starting in a few hours since I'll be in Chicago!

The trip was questionable yesterday after I came home more tired than I have ever been in my life. The husband was skeptical about our weekend plans. But today, I feel refreshed and ready to hit the windy city. I do have some puppy guilt about taking them to be boarded since we can't pick them up until Tuesday am. Holiday on Monday and all. We found a place that looks awesome so they can have their own puppy door in and out so that helps a little. Still would rather be able to have them home on Monday.

Anyway, I've added some random photos from the card to share until I can get back to the art pics and new Chicago additions.

These are pics of a commissioned piece from my friend Suzanne. It was a birthday gift to her friend Elizabeth who is a fellow graphic designer. They have an awesome business together where they screen print on organic onesies, tees, etc. Seriously, if you need an incredible shower gift check out Sutecchi




This was a birdbath that was in my Mom's yard for years and I topped it with a St. Francis statue I got in Mexico on a family trip. I love them together and it feels very relic like. I love the faded blue on the pots. This photo is also old enough that you can see the old fence we replaced in November!



One of my latest etsy finds from a bead seller in Austin, I'd provide the link if I could find the store - I'll update if I find it. I can't wait to do something fabulous with them but in the meantime I open the bead drawer just get the imagination going.



Enough for now. I've got to get the last minute packing done and then we're off! Deep dish pizza, Field Museum and shopping (they have an actual Dick Blick store!!!) are all on the to do list!

Have a great weekend.

Holy smokes it's been a while

I've fallen off the blogging bandwagon! It's been hectic here as I prepped for my trip to NOLA and then it's been crazy getting back and getting ready to hit Chicago next weekend. I've squeezed in a few art projects and promise a real post soon but just wanted to put up a few pics from New Orleans that may tied you over until I can get through the 100+ I need to go through.

I was obsessed with balconies, foliage and signs this trip so it's a little sneak peek. The other photo is of me and my friend Suzanne, whose b-day we were celebrating, in front of one of my favorite pieces of wall art.

p.s. Rolland couldn't stop making fun of the hat but I loved it! It saved me from sunburn and bad hair.:)

New Orleans

I have some pics I need to post but I would have to walk the gauntlet of fur babies to get it so you'll just have to wait for another entry. :) I'm not without updates however, I am headed to New Orleans Friday evening for a girls weekend and I can't wait. This should also give me a couple of full cards of pics to post! I love NOLA and have been there twice before. Each time I find more things I love from the architecture to the constant motion of the city. This time I won't have the husband, who hated it, walking around with me begrudgingly taking in the sites. He does like the food but as for the rest, not so much.

One reason I'm anxious to wing away for a while is that it's been a difficult period at work. Also, I have been a little blue lately so my friend Suzanne and Rolland - who truly is the best husband ever - urged me to stay an extra day (I was coming back Sunday am) so now I've updated the flight and will be staying until Monday afternoon. That one day can make a huge difference in how many visits to Cafe du Monde I can work in! We've also scoped out a new district I haven't checked out before that has lots of art galleries and studios. Super excited to see this one.

Suzanne also talked me into staying out for a drink last Friday (post the Wolverine viewing we did for our team building - movie was not bad but not as great as I wanted) and I was out until 9:30. I know this sounds incredibly early but if I'm out after dark it's a monumentous occassion! We had an awesome time and Suzanne truly is one of my favorite people. I also got to meet her friend Chris who was super nice.

Since it's now 9:50, it's time to head for bed as we've previously established I'm an incredibly boring person and have a bed time. Although, I did break the bed time rule this week when we saw a Star Trek screening on Monday. Also... it totally rocked! This movie is greatness and I'm encouraging anyone who loves a good action flick to check it out. It's not overly trekkie at all. It's got some good stuff for fans but newbies won't feel left out. I'm encouraging this one for a good date night possiblity since it buys lots of hubby good will (although I'm the big geek in my house).

Happy Wednesday!

Patience

Saw this on Lisa's blog this morning and it was exactly what I needed.

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.”

—Anne Lamott (b. 1954), author, political activist

Interrupting regularly scheduled post

with a progress poll. I've been really making an effort to get in shape and I've created a progress blog elsewhere but I'm taking a moment to solicit comments on whether improvement has actually been made. I'm attaching March's photo with Monday's progress pic. In case it's difficult to tell Monday's pic is the dress in pink. :)

Thoughts?