Bathroom Reno Complete!

This post has been a few months in the making.  The reno was about 99.9% complete just before the baby shower at the end of April with the exception of one blank wall over the toilet that I had no idea what to do there.  I contemplated posting this bathroom post without the wall done, but I just couldn't do it.

But this weekend, it all came together and after I cleaned the bathroom, snapped my pics.  So, be warned, this post is picture heavy!

If you need a reminder of the "reno" in process, click here, here or here

So, here we go!

 View from the doorway

Another view from the doorway

The once bare wall over the toilet

 Ta Da!

 New light by the tub and toilet

 New light over the sink

New tub surround

 New floor

New counter-top, sink and taps

Hidden laundry basket

First off, let me say....right now, the bathroom is my FAVORITE room in the house! I love how it all turned out and I have a lot of pride in it.  We did a lot of do-it-yourself in it.  We took out all the ceramic tile and replaced some drywall.  We put up the tub surround, cut and installed the new counter top, sink and taps.  Plus, we even did the floor and baseboards ourselves. There were some learning curves with all of it, but we started out with low end materials.  Nice enough to do for now but not pricey enough that if we had screwed it up, it broke the bank to replace.

Oh and my hidden laundry hamper?  This idea came from Home Depot.  When I was dreaming, browsing the display bathrooms, they had a set up where when I opened one cupboard, it revealed a deep drawer with a hamper inside!  I said right way!  "Oh, if I had the money AND needed new cabinets..THIS is what I would want!"  It got me thinking and I realized, perhaps my hamper would fit in one of the cabinets.  I have a bit more space in the cabinets than I need (either that or I am not utilizing it properly) and it makes the bathroom look 100% tidier!

There were 2 things we did that were "big effect, little money" changes. One was changing the shower curtain bar.  We  installed a curved shower rod and the space it provided within the shower is quite noticeable.  When you are having a shower, your elbows don't bump the sides and it feels like 12 people could fit inside.  But from the outside, it is barely noticeable.  The second change was the lighting.  We put the round "track" lighting so that part shined IN the shower/tub, on the toilet and towards the doorway.  So now, not only does the shower feel roomy, it is also bright.  I HATE a dark bathroom.  But if you are afraid it will be too bright first thing in the morning...do what we did when we first moved in....install a dimmer switch!  We actually put it in because there was no usable outlet for a night light and when you have to go pee at 3 am...you don't want the bright lights on.

So, there you go!  I hope you enjoyed your tour.  I love it so much, I am going to join the Sunday Scoop link up party at I Heart Naptime!

A Valid Reason For My Lack Of Blogging!

Over the past 6 weeks or so, my state of blogging has been sorely amiss.

There is a good reason for that....

.....we got a hot tub!

We have wanted one for quite some time but knew we could not afford a new one.  Those things can be pretty pricey.....with more bells and whistles than my car!

We found one that didn't cost us aside from the repairs it needed, which were pretty minimal.

So, almost every night, around 9/9:30 we head to the hot tub and then right to bed.  There is so little time for blogging.

The set up for the hot tub is pretty great.  You walk out of the sun porch and off of the deck we put up for the b.b.q.  A couple of weeks ago, we put up a bit of a privacy fence so you can't see the tub from the road.

What do you think?

We still need to built a base around the tub, but that is minor for now.  The kids love the hot tub too and that is their big treat on the weekends.

It was apparent in the beginning though that according to my husband at least, I lacked a certain "hot tub etiquette"

Let me tell you the story and you can decide.

Please keep in mind that this all happened BEFORE the privacy fence went up.

It was our second night with the hot tub up and running.  We waited until about 10 pm and decided that we would go in with nothing but our birthday suits on.  It was great, we just sat and talked for about 20 minutes..but it was COLD outside.  It's not a long run to the house, but long enough when you are naked and wet.  So, we stand up out of the tub and it's nippy!  I step onto the deck, grab my towel and shoes and bolt it to the porch!

The problem?  There is a sensor light on the back shed that will go off when you hit the stairs to the deck.  So as I ran for warmth and cover, Brian got "stranded" in the hot tub, struggling to put the cover on, naked and cold, praying that a car didn't drive by, seeing he was now so nicely illuminated by the sensor light. I figured he was right behind me this whole time!

He called me a dink!  Seriously though!  Who's the dink?  Screw the cover...come inside, get dressed and then go back out!  I mean, that only makes the most logical sense don't you think! But NO! Since then,  he has not gone naked, even though there is no longer the threat of passerby's seeing him and I try really hard not to turn the light on.

For us, a hot tub makes perfect sense....we are home-bodies.  I don't dream of trips to Cuba or any other warm destination. I would just rather stay at home and this makes for a wonderful end to the evening.  It is also a great place for Brian and I to just sit and talk about our day without the interruption of kids or phones or anything else.  We probably use it about 5 nights a week and twice on weekends. An investment that has been worth while if I must say.

Anyone up for a hot tub party?

A Quick Weekend Update

This weekend was a B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L long weekend in Ontario.  If you asked Hayden, the reason for the long weekend is because it's the Queen's birthday and she was nice enough to let us have the day off to celebrate.  Not bad for a 5 year old!

Here is just a quick photo run-down of some of the things we did this weekend (aside from a campfire and fireworks Saturday).

First off, a couple of gardening updates

Plantar Boxes beside garage door

My dresser all planted...I haven't done that in a couple of years

Pinterest Idea full of Hens and Chicks

This is the family edition of chalk outlines

DADDY

Abby & Hayden (with the sword)

Mommy
I have NO idea why Hayden drew that little "decoration" between the legs of my outline
Mine is the only PERVERTED one in the whole bunch!

 So there you go!  That is just a bit of what we got up to this long weekend!  Hope everyone else's was just as enjoyable and relaxing!

The 1850 Mile Pinterest Challenge - May Edition

It is once again that time.  I feel like I don't have all that much to report on really.  Most of my Pinteresting things revolved around the baby shower and I showed you pictures already, but I will link back to it at the end of this post.

This challenge was just one of those "Blah" times.  I didn't really feel too crafty for things indoors and it is not quite nice enough for the things I want to complete for outdoors.  So instead, I picked up some books I saw on Pinterest.

First off, I finally got a hold of this book series

These books have been the talk of EVERYWHERE lately, including Dr. Oz (and I don't watch Dr. Oz, just flipped it on my chance one day and this was the topic)

First I will admit here....I am a bit of a "smut" reader.  Love it actually and I blame my friend from the North in regards to that.  She introduced me to some paranormal books that got me hooked and from there I discovered that there is a whole library section dedicated to Paranormal romance.  These books though go way beyond just your romance books, but quite frankly...I'm just peachy with that!!! There was no need to skim through pages of the story to get to the "good stuff"

There has been a lot of talk about why there is so much hype about this series...here is MY humble opinion.

There is a bit of stigma surrounding romance books and people that read them.  The type of book you read at home under the sheets with the flashlight so no ones you do.  But theses books!?!?  They made the New York Times best seller list and SUDDENLY, it's socially acceptable to read smut.  Plus, these books go WAY beyond any romance book I have ever read!

I managed to read them over the past week, including TOO many nights with TOO little sleep.  A few women I know on Facebook are reading them and suggested that any of us reading it get together to discuss it!  Oh, could you just IMAGINE!!! ( Fingers crossed I get an invite)  Maybe it's because I am married with 2 kids and sometimes you just need a little something to get the "home fires" burning.  Whatever the result, these books are now in my nightstand, ready at a moment's notice for when some "inspiration" is needed.

The second set of books I picked up is this series

I'm a bit behind the times with this one too...but I got them through the book order at the daycare.  I am almost done the third book and it's a pretty good series.  Easy enough to get involved in and picture what is going on in your head.  My mother's day gift from Brian allowing me almost the whole day to just sit and read!  What Bliss!! I do just have to keep reminding myself that they are young adult and that is why the "romance" never really develops like I want it too (it was the same with the Harry Potter series), which probably explains why the earlier series of books is a better fit.  But wouldn't it be great if someone developed an "adult" version of these same books...like an "extended" version on a DVD?

Well, that it about it.  I can't wait to get back to some more "creative" adventures for the next post, but this was a nice break too.

As promised, here is the link for the tutorial of the diaper motorcycle I made and posted about here

Wanna find out what my Pinterest co-horts were up to this time around, you can check out Diana's post here and Tamara's here!  They actually got C.R.A.F.T.Y!!!!!

Oh Baby, Oh Baby!!

Well, this post has been a week in the making...is it just me or did that last week in April just fly by!  From the 24th on, my life was consumed by biopsy's, birthdays and babies!

Last Saturday, my mom and I hosted a baby shower for my newest cousin!  It's always exciting to get a new addition to the family and I LOVE to host these things.

Little Owen is the cute little peanut belonging to my cousin Adam and his wife Jenn.  He was born at the end of February and after I was sure mom had a little recovery time, I started planning like mad.

It started with the baby invites I posted about here.  I was so proud of the end result for them.

I must admit....I did a fair bit of idea planning from Pinterest...have I mentioned that I LOVE that site!  It's my go-to for EVERYTHING!!  ( I will put up the links for any ideas on my May edition of the Pinterest Challenge)

The minute I saw this diaper cake, I knew I had to make it! Honestly, it was super easy and well received!

Why don't I take you on a tour of the rest of the day.  Please keep in mind that Hayden was the photographer for a few of these.

Inspired by the daycare, I painted a stork on the front window...says a lot for my
craftiness, most people commented on the GOOSE

The "spread"...never a lack of food at a MacDonald event

The cake, a vanilla cake with lemon filling
YUMMY

Thanks to my Cricut machine for helping me make this for the kitchen window

Thank you gifts for the wonderful guests
Some homemade fudge and seed packets

The guest of honour, Owen Thomas Dickie

Hayden's favorite gift

Once again, the guest of honour

NO BABIES WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS PICTURE!!!!
Abby, Hayden and Owen sharing some cousin love!

What I didn't get pictures of were some of the decorations around the house.  I learned after Hayden's birthday party to decorate with what you already have.  I broke out the silver polish and shined up the silver baby cups, I got out a few blue stuffed animals and combined a game/decoration/gift into one.  I hid 22 baby socks around the house..on the windows, the feet of stuffed animals, table legs, curtains and a number of other places.  I gave everyone about 5 minutes to count the socks and the person with the closest guess, won a prize.  We had a tie between my cousin and Jenn's sister!

Well, I hope everyone had a great time...I know we did and I ate shower food for a week!

Mom Challenge - Day's 26 - 30

Day 26

Make it a point to encourage your child today.

I think I do a good job at encouraging my children everyday.  For Abby, it is about her potty-using skills.  Hayden is often about his language skills and the good use of different words.

Day 27

Do one thing that is good for your health: walk 10 minutes, eat a piece of fruit or get a good night’s sleep.

I must say, the house was busy this week prepping for a baby shower, about the only thing I had time for WAS a good night’s sleep!

Day 28

Teach your child a new word.

I had real good intentions with this one, but it was baby shower day!  Hayden actually did a pretty good job at impressing me with words I didn’t know he was aware of.  “our first party-goers are here”  “Oh, we have another customer”

Day 29

Turn off your phone, computer or TV today when your child is with you.

I personally don’t use the phone or computer much during the day OR watch TV when the kids are around.  I will admit though, we are a big TV family.  It is ALWAYS on!  Mostly for background noise, but that is just a way of life for us.

Day 30

Today’s focus: Love

No brainer one!  You can’t have kids and not feel love everyday!  I love them to no end!

So, that is the end of the challenge.  How do you think I did?  My opinion…well, I didn’t blog it everyday like I intended, but I didn’t want to bore myself and everyone else with it.

I went into it thinking it might help improve some of my mothering skills, but in the end, what it did for me was make me realize I am already a pretty great mom!  Most of the challenges are something I do on a regular basis with my kids.  I will admit, about half way into the challenge, I got bored with it.  It seemed redundant to blog about everyday mom stuff.  But, I kept it up until the end.    Now I can start blogging about fun stuff again!