Some days it just isn't worth getting out of bed.

New Years Eve we got up early to be at the house to meet the rental guy delivering a Werkmaster grinder for us to grind and polish our concrete floors.
Two and a half hours late he showed up with the machine, a vaccuum system and various diamond discs. It wasn't until he tried to plug it in to show us how to use it that he realized he hadn't brought the right adapter to plug it into the 220 outlet that I had had the electrician install just so we could use this machine.
He went back to Kerrisdale to get the adapter and we went off to have breakfast, although by then it was time for lunch.
When we got back the adapter was on our doorstep, along with a large bucket of densifier, which he had forgotten the 1st time, and a very large invoice.

Finally we were ready and I was excited. I'd spent the day before clearing out the downstairs and sweeping the floors clean, then spent the evening watching all the 'Werkmaster' training videos I could find on-line and was looking forward to trying out this machine & polishing our floors.
Good news: the adapter worked, the little red light on the machine was on, we had power.
Bad news: the end of the hose for the vacuum system didn't fit on the grinder. A quick phone call to the rental guy got us
"Oh, I must have thrown you the wrong hose. Can you duct-tape it on?"
Uh, no. Duct tape won't work in this case.
OK, so we don't have a dust-remover now. Lets just start it up and see just how much dust this thing kicks up.
Maneuver it into position in a closet, (start in an inconspicuous spot just in case) push the "On" button.
Nothing. No sound, no grinding, no sign of life except for the red light reading "STOP".
Check the plug, check the connections, flick the breaker on and off, still nothing.
Another call to rental guy. He advises us to do everything we'd already done. Then
"Sorry, I don't know what the problem is. I'm running late (well we knew that), have lots to do and we're actually closed for the day now."

Nothing else to do but go home and back to bed for an afternoon nap before going out for dinner.



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(Little bunny courtesy of Shea)

Well, what else is Boxing day for?

Linens'n'Things was closing and so desperate to empty the building that everything left in the store was either 70 or 90% off. They had a lot less to pack up after our second visit and even less the next day when I went back a third time, with my Mom & sister Tam.

Now we don't have to worry about peeping toms in the new house while we wait for me to sew window-coverings. We'll have everything covered with silvery-gray damask stripes ($12/pair) or roman blinds ($5 each).

Won't have to spend money re-covering or replacing our dining-room chairs either because they'll be covered too - in chair covers ($1.99 each) a brick colour similar to the coppery-red flecks in our granite.

Here's a slightly washed-out photo of a chunk of our granite next to my cherry kitchen cabinet door sample.

I found a few towels for the boys' bathroom. Their bathroom is designed with two teenagers sharing in mind. The toilet is in a separate compartment with a door on it and I have the perfect vanity for them. Two sinks, separated by a raised section of drawers.
My plan is for them to each have their own set of towels, using my old colour-code for them so I'll know who's leaving their wet towels lying around. I made it easy for me to remember: Lime green for green-eyed Cole, cobalt blue for blue-eyed Shea. And to hang the towels?

Hooks only, no towel bars because, apparently, they don't know how to use them!


May as well show more of what I've chosen for their bathroom.

'Rhythm' faucet, with matching tub/shower fixtures. The boys get their own style, different from the ones in the rest of the house but they're all single-hole, single-handle faucets. They just make so much more sense than needing two hands to get the right temperature.


A catalogue shot of the tub. Can't believe I haven't taken a picture of it in the house yet. It's there, installed already.

I chose this tub for a few reasons. It doesn't have sloping sides so there's maximum standing room for showering, as this tub will seldom be used for bathing. And see that extra-high bit extending up the wall? That means that the ledge where all the shampoo and body-wash bottles collect, has no calking-line to get all slimy and moldy.
And it's made in Canada.

Merry,

Merry

Christmas!

Fashion dilema

Basic Black? or.......

Stripes? or.......

Plaid?

Oh, just forget it all and slap on a coat of grey mud.

Then add a little frosting on top.

This was last weekend's snowfall. Yesterday's was much deeper but we didn't pull in to take a picture this morning and risk getting the car stuck.

Now that we've seen it like this I think we might change our mind about the colour and go with something a little deeper than white for the main colour. When the 'grey-coat' was first applied and still wet it was a nice green-grey. Maybe we'll go with a 'wet-stucco' look for the final coat. I think Benjamin Moore even has a colour called Wet Concrete". We have until spring to decide. (long enough to change our minds at least another 1/2 dozen times) because it's best to let the first two coats age a bit before putting on the final one. (not to mention that the dead of winter doesn't make for the best conditions) You just don't see it done often because houses can be a little hard to sell with rough, upainted stucco.

It seemed for a while like progress had stalled. Work was still being done but the only evidence was little piles of wood shavings on the floor. It was like we'd been invaded by a gang of small rodents building nests everywhere. Guinea pig hotel. It was only when you took a closer look that you realized there were now more cables or wires or pipes or ducts snaking through holes in the studs and floor. It's a wonder the house was still standing there are so many holes drilled in it.

Everyone did their job right though because we passed the framing inspection with only a short list of 8 things needing to be done. Nothing major, nothing that had to be re-done, but enough additional back-framing to keep Kim busy for the past two weekends.

He's almost done, now we're waiting for the weather to warm up enough that the insulation guys can do their thing. (bunch of wimps - when I get too cold there I sweep the floor, there's always sand - and gerbil beds - to be swept up & I warm up in no time.)

(ps - Zoya - I couldn't figure out a way to respond to your comment and couldn't find an email address for you - please email me directly. jesterkiss (at) telus (dot) net)