Crossing Off Things Is An Addiction I Can Get Behind & TTFN

For the past few years we’ve needed to do something about our shower floor tile. The marble was in good shape, but the grout was terrible; I’d had three contractors come and look at repairing/replacing the grout and they all said I need to redo the whole shower floor. That was last year and I felt defeated, but this year, I was renewed, I was determined! I was also sick of looking at the nasty shower floor.

Finally, I contacted a tile guy via Thumbtack. We liked him, we liked is price, we liked his reviews and it was scheduled. I found some lovely floor tile that coordinated with the shower walls and bathroom floor and he came back a few weeks later to prep the floor with a primer.

The day he started the work, I’d kept the Frenchies at the back of the house behind a baby gate while he primed the floor; he would come back the next day to lay the tile. When he finished the primer and departed, I’d let the girls out and they were happy to have access to the whole house again.

Picture me at the countertop on my laptop after I’d set the dogs free, just Lolly dolling away, when I’d realized what I’d just done: I had NOT shut our bathroom door.

THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS

The Frenchies were drawn to the wet primer like flies to sh*t. In a matter of minutes, they tramped it all over the bathroom floor and that stuff dried fast! I got most of it up, but not all. And I was able to get most off their paws, but I did initiate a run/play party on the driveway to get more primer off their pads with concrete as a helper.

(we’re having our marble floors polished and sealed in June, which was needed anyway!)

Before and After:

We’re thrilled with the result!

GET OUT OF INTO THE CLOSET

When we did our big remodel in 2016, the way the interior/exterior walls were adjusted, we decided to close-in a previous angled, sliding glass door in our bedroom. For a few years, we had a lovely wardrobe/pie cabinet in the weird shaped spot, but it just wasn’t right and we eventually took the pie cabinet to Georgia where it resides in our master bathroom.

We decided to make this odd corner into a closet, but finding closet doors for it was a challenge.

It’s an odd shape/size and sliding doors would never have worked. SO, it sat there like a weird relative, staring at us for four years. (Coach’s boots and ball caps slowly took over the corner)

Late last year, I finally bit the bullet and said to the Coach: I found a place that makes custom bifold/barn doors, they’re super expensive, but we’ve got to do something. Bonus: They’re made in the USA!

It took a few months for them to arrive and when they did, that was a whole ‘nother issue. The doors were shipped by JB Hunt in an eighteen wheeler, in custom made crates. They weighed SIX HUNDRED pounds with the crates. I couldn’t have them delivered to the house because I don’t currently keep a warehouse forklift here to be able to pick up the crates from the eighteen wheeler at my driveway gate. I was perplexed when the shippers called me, explaining the logistics, then my husband reminded me that we have forklifts and many men working at our factory, so I had the doors delivered there. How do I forget these things? Our guys were able to bring them to our house from the shop and we had one of our Install Guru’s put them up for us.

Here’s the progress from beginning to end. Mind you, that open cavern with boots/hats/boxes stacked up? We looked at that for at least four years.

We moved a lot of Coach’s stuff in there, so now our regular master closet is not so jam packed.

Please don’t unfriend me, ’cause I feel like I’m being overly braggadocios with all my updates; but, I don’t think I’m the only one who gets a high when their To Do List has more checked-off marks, than unchecked.



Who uses the TTFN phrase from Tiger? It’s one of my faves.

I don’t want anyone to worry and call the Popo Lolo looking for me, because I’ll be mostly MIA in the next few weeks.

Don’t miss me too much and happy Mother’s Day!

XO

All The (Condo Renovation) After Photos, With The Slightest Amount Of Griping.

It’s done. Finally. Hurricane Ian ravaged our area on on 9/28/22. We’ve had hurricanes in this area before, but this was “The Perfect Storm” since it hit when the tides were just right and created a huge Storm Surge; one that we’ve never experienced before. Our sweet little condo took in about 4 feet of water.

I was upset, but not in the ‘this is where I raised my family’ kind of upset. Sure, we’d put a lot of heart & soul into this place, but it wasn’t my primary home and other people suffered much greater losses. (lives, homes, cars, etc) So, I wasn’t devastated.

It would have been great if we’d realized our insurance didn’t cover Named Storms. But hey, if you’re gonna be dumb, you’ve got to be tough.

The living/dining/kitchen/dry bar area.

We were able to salvage our pendant lights, dining light & wood island countertop. Previously, we didn’t have a backsplash, just shiplap and now I’m obsessed with the backsplash I chose; it’s subtle and different. I’d like to marry it, but apparently that is still illegal.

The master bedroom and bath.

I’d pined away for hanging bedside lamps; they’re a bit girly with white beads and the Coach never said a word about them, which means he probably hates them, but won’t dare say so. I love the shower tile I chose; it’s a classic subway, but in a gray/blue shade. The judgmental bird print makes me smile! We did the same layout of cabinets and built-in closets as before, but I chose two round mirrors as opposed to the large framed one we had last time. Not sure that I ever shared about the Shell Mirror. It was left in the condo by the previous owners; I painted it flat white and used it in the dining room before. This time, I wanted it in our room at my makeshift vanity spot. A nod to the history of this 1973 condo. It sustained a bit of damage in the moving back and forth, but nothing a glue gun and some fresh shells couldn’t handle. We replaced the wood plantation shutters with Smart Zebra Shades and I love them.

The guest room and guest bath.

For some reason, our electricians skimped on outlets in the bedroom which irked the hell out of me. It would have been a big deal to rip out the baseboards and redo them, so I literally had to PIVOT the bed so we could have nightstands with an outlet and not use extension cords. I’m still a bit bitter about this, but I’m trying to Let It Go. We mimicked the same wall of closet storage from before which is amazeballs for a small condo. We had the antique oars before, but we couldn’t decide how to hang them, so we never did; they were propped in the corner of the room and the hurricane literally gave them more character by thrashing them around the guest room. The guest bath is just as nice as the other one. How do we feel about Towel Bars over the toilet? I’m not a fan, so I’ve again NOT put one in here. I let my guests throw their towels on the floor.

KIDDING. I have a very strong, clear hook just on the edge of the shower tile for a towel.


Thoughts

  • I had new tile flooring (porcelain tile) picked out a month after the hurricane; I was super excited; it was about the same shade as the wood island top. When it came time to order the floors, the Coach said: WOW, those are really inexpensive, not sure if the quality will be what we want. So, I went back to the drawing board and chose three different floors, but only the last one was available. Do I love the floors we ended up with? Not really, because they show every little thing! But again, I’m not losing sleep over them and really, the first ones I chose would have been better.
  • We upgraded all the appliances this time to Miele because that is what we love for our own home. I told the Coach: If a storm surge is ever expected, you bet your ass we are going to remove all the appliances beforehand.
  • Before the storm, we had all Flat Interior paint. The doors, trim, walls, etc….it made me loco because unlike me, it’s very sensitive! This time, I specifically said to the Coach: I want Sherwin Williams Alabaster, in a Satin finish. He relayed this to the painter, who then told Coach that so many people are now using Flat paint in homes with this type of decor. So, Flat paint covered the entire place before I knew it. Ya’ll, you can’t look at the wall without it leaving a mark. I need to buy stock in Magic Erasers and I declared more than thrice to attach them to the dogs paws.

Am I complaining about things? Maybe a little. But I am so thankful that we were in a position to redo this place; it is a little slice of heaven for our family and friends. One of my favorite things is to sit in the swivel chair, enjoy my morning coffee, with the doors open, and watch the boat traffic or the dolphins feeding at the dock. Also, occasionally, like old, crotchety people, we like to say to ourselves: SLOW DOWN, IT’S A NO WAKE ZONE! (on this busy boat day NYE, people adhered to our demands)

So, dish. Do you have towels hanging over your toilets?

Have you ever had a home with all Flat Paint inside? Did you end up in a padded room because of the flat paint?

XO

Overlooked Art And I Need Your {vote} Input

I mentioned a while ago that I was updating our master bedroom. Linds took our old furniture, which was in great shape, but I was ready to lighten the mood; new bed frame, new nightstands, new dresser and a new rug.

What I had been lacking, was something to hang above the headboard. I do like a minimalist look, but something was needed here. I’d been looking in stores and online for a while and a few weeks ago I spotted a lovely piece at HomeGoods. You know, my happy place.

It was just what I wanted, simple with a touch of color, but serene because this girl loves some serene in her life. I brought it home and propped it up against the headboard, so I could make sure it really worked before I asked the Coach to hang it.

Now, I’m not trying to throw my husband under a bus, or off a bridge, because he is one of the smartest people I’ve ever encountered and a lot of folks have been encountered by me. Go ahead, ask around.

But, he came home from work, walked past this never-been-here-before-today painting, went into our bathroom/closet to change, then out again to the kitchen where I asked: Did you like the new painting over the bed?

He asked: What painting?

*PALM TO FACE*

Anyhoo, he liked it and hung it for me the next day which is what I call foreplay.


My longtime readers stalkers might remember that after we finished the ginormous six month long renovation, I was in need of a large piece of art for our sitting area; I was a proud peach when I found this shower curtain idea somewhere and with the Coach’s help we made it happen.

I’ve loved this big ass dog since the day we hung it. But it’s been seven years, plus a few months. I’m ready for an update.

(We’ve since updated the lighting, chairs, table and rug!)

Coach is holding strong that he still loves the boxer. I was being flexible and said he can put the boxer in his office (there is a wall that can hold it) and we can make a new frame and update to a jazzed up Octopus; I’ve already purchased the shower curtain.

Help a sister out:

Do you get tired of the same things hanging around your house? I’m not talking about your family, we’re only talking about wall art, rugs and furniture during this weeks appointment.

XOXO

What’s New? Peanut’s Boyfriend, Stressing About Non Life-Altering Decisions And Looking For A BOGO Discount On Spaying; Which Is A Life Altering Decision.

We had a lovely weekend on the East Coast seeing our good friends Don and Kelly. Two of our songwriter friends were at a another friends’ house, two doors down playing a party for 50 of her nearest and dearest. It was a good time for the humans, and even better for Peanut.

Peanut had a blast playing with her friend Louie. It was 24 hours of non-stop foreplay; for Peanut, not me. All the nibbling, chasing, rolling around, cuddling, etc..for our entire visit.

She was completely exhausted for the next 24 hours after we departed and since Louie is snipped, we didn’t end our weekend needing a Plan B.


I’m really not that stressed, just busy. But who else wakes up at 3am and contemplates every decision you’ve ever made and the ones you still need to make?

What is consuming me lately? Thanks for asking.

~I’ve got to make lots of decisions on the redo of our beach condo; thank you Hurricane Ian, I had it just how I wanted it aside from one thing which of course I will share with you. Floor tile, countertops, furniture. New windows? Do we want to do wood shutters again? I’ve spent about 79 hours trying to decide on the couch/chairs for the living area. Do I want the slipcovered couch with chaise or do I want the upholstered couch with the return bumper?

Do you also wonder these things? I sure hope so.

I’m fretting over the couch situation because as pretty as the last couch was, it wasn’t comfortable and I complained about it at least 79 times in the four years we had it. I found it to be stiff and shallow; don’t we all know someone one like that? The funny thing is, we’ve had lots of guests there as well as renters and not one other person complained about the couch. Goldilocks who?

RIP stiff, shallow couch and lovely deep, comfy swivel chairs.

We will do most of the condo exactly as it was, but a few things we’re going to change up, you know, so I can stress about new choices.

I know it’s only 1400 square feet, but it’s consuming me.

Please, Baby Jesus do not let us have another hurricane with storm surge until I’m in heaven eating rocky road ice cream on the daily!

~I scheduled Peanut for her hysterectomy, but now I think I have to adjust it because Louie is coming over for another playdate and there’s no ‘keeping her calm’ when her man is in town.

~Also, and maybe the biggest thing, I need to schedule a hysterectomy for myself. *sigh* I’ve known I needed to to this since November, but I’ve been putting it off. I know I’ll be ok, but I’m still avoiding the necessary. I’ve not written about it because I know some people are freaked out by ‘health talk’ and I don’t want to be the one to freak someone out. Well, today anyway. But, the mechanical parts of my lady kitchen no longer serve me and they’re causing slight issues now, and hopefully by removing them, I won’t have bigger issues later. (My Mom had a hysterectomy at 40, was left with one ovary; which became cancerous and took her from us.)

**Edited to add-I am post-menopausal, so my hormones have already left the building.

So, how did you enjoy my rant that started with Dogs making out, moving onto couch talk and ending with my upcoming major surgery? Can you imagine how things ‘swing’ inside my head if this is only a blog post.

Have any of my friends had her interior Lady Parts removed and can share any good advice. I mean, aside from avoiding it altogether? (Mark, don’t worry about answering 😜)

XOXO