thank heaven…

Much to the chagrin of a few of my faithful readers, I have neglected to mention on the blog that we are expecting another baby! This child is an absolute blessing and we are so very thankful. My due date is mid-February, so our two babies will be about 26 months apart.

Last week we finally had the big 20-week ultrasound and the baby looks wonderful! The ultrasound tech said that all of the baby’s measurements are right on target and everything looks normal. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and thanked the Lord for what seems to be a healthy baby. Later, Curtis confessed that he wasn’t relieved because he hadn’t even known that we could find out something was wrong! Ha ha ha… it was probably better that way for both of us.

Isn’t that just the most precious profile that you’ve ever seen? It’s okay. You don’t have to say yes.

The other exciting news (the news that Curtis was awaiting)?

Aren’t you thankful that they spell it out for you? As if we can tell by looking at that picture! Apparently, there are three parallel lines in the baby’s “private area”. She was very cooperative in letting us get a good view, so we are fully sure… we have a daughter!

p.s. I am not just posting each ultrasound twice. These are each distinctly different snapshots… at least according to the ultrasound tech.

Are you wondering who she’s going to look like? So are we, of course! Just for you, I’m posting this picture of her face.

That clears everything up. Right?

Seriously, though, we feel so blessed and thankful for this baby girl. Cooper will be such a good brother (just give him a few months… or years) and I think I will feel even more comfortable raising a female, at least when it comes to dressing and wiping and stuff.  :)

The sweetest thought to me, though, is of Curtis as this little girl’s father. My eyes tear up just thinking of them together. A daddy has such power in the life and heart of his daughter, and I am so confident that Curtis will breathe truth, love, and security into this little one. And probably a lot of money.

transformation in progress: bathroom (days 8 & 9)

Saturday and Sunday were slightly shortened days, with a wedding, church, and a first birthday party. Regardless, there was progress made! Quick update:

Day 8 (Saturday)

 
The big score: we have trim! Curtis purchased, measured, cut, and attached nearly all of the trim- baseboards and window/door casings.

 

 
It made the room look SO much closer to being done. It still needs to be caulked and painted, but just the primed wood is enough to give you the feel of the finished bathroom.

 

 
There a few spots- like to the right of the window- that need extra attention. In fact, as is typical for our 70 year old house, there was a lot that needed extra attention. Retrofitting… it is tedious.

 

Day 9 (Sunday)

Sunday afternoon, there was an unsuccessful attempt to install the toilet (again, retrofitting… something about the cast iron drainpipe needing to be cut off lower to install the new toilet). Instead, Curtis did more measuring, cutting, and painting, but this time it was for the linen closet!

 
He has all of the wood supports and shelves ready to go into the closet. I cannot wait to organize all of that SPACE! I love to organize. I know, I’m weird. I once thought about starting a business where I would organize people’s kitchens for them. I just think it’s fun!

 

 
Also exciting: he even managed to find time to install a new light overhead.

 

 
Isn’t it lovely? Not really anything special, but a whole heck of a lot better than the gold dangly thing that was there before!!

Happy Monday!

transformation in progress: bathroom (days 6 & 7ish)

Day 6 (Last Saturday)

Curtis spent lots of time in the bathroom last weekend and I didn’t post about any of it! Good thing y’all know that he’s renovating that bathroom or that would sound really strange. Again, there was some drywall work. If there’s anything that Curtis might pay someone to do in the future, I’m pretty sure that drywall would be it.

Thankfully, there was also tiling to be done. Lovely, progress-obvious tile…

It is certainly time-consuming work.

 

  
Lots of measuring, cutting, and trying to lay tile down before the fast-drying adhesive hardens. (p.s. If you look closely, Corey and Jessica got a little free publicity in this shot!)

Curtis finished laying the tile in time to watch the UT football game, but came home and started grouting at 11pm!

 
Check out the result- it looks so good! Very professional and so finished.

 

I can’t lie though. I freaked out a little when I woke up Sunday morning because the grout was so dark. By the way, I picked the grout color... yikes! Apparently (thankfully) it lightens a lot as it dries. Phew.

Day 7ish (cumulative weekday work)

During the week, Curtis and I both spent several hours painting.

 
First, Curtis primed the walls. Even that made such a difference. Doesn’t it look so much cleaner?? The room started to feel like a room instead of a project!

 

Then, the paint. You see that beautiful blue? I picked the color and painted the first coat all by myself! It’s fun when I get do something productive too. :)

 

 
It was a little darker than I had pictured, but we think it’s going to look great.

 

I completely neglected to take a “before” picture of the ceiling, but I’m hoping that you can see it in this. It’s the top of the wall as it runs into the ceiling… and those brown dots are what the WHOLE ceiling looked like. I guess it was old mildew?? Disgusting.

 

And now, after Curtis’ priming and painting… crisp and clean. Ahhh, I can’t wait to enjoy this bathroom!

transformation in progress: bathroom (day 5ish)

We’re going to compile all of the work done in the last five days into ONE… day 5! Poor Curtis has been working like a dog, but he’s only been able to do so before & after his days as a full-time student and husband/father. He’s even been seen getting up “in the 5’s”, as he calls it. Wow.

For Curtis, the week was spent doing lots and lots and lots of drywall work and Evan did some more plumbing as well. While most of the work was not camera-friendly, there is one big change that is super exciting and visually impressive!

 
This is where we started on Monday morning.

 

 
Wall tile started to go up! We chose a clean, white tile for the bath, which will be such a new world after the ancient PINK tile from before.

 

Look at that hottie in action, putting up the border tiles like a pro.

 

I caught him just as he was finishing up the last piece. And, voila!

 

The gorgeous shower tile, just before the grout was added.

 

 
And then the beautiful end result!

 

 
I just took these pictures tonight, and I hate that I had to use the flash. It makes it so washed out. You can’t see the details that show the evidence of hard work!

 

 
That helps a little! By the way, didn’t I (with Kelly’s help) do a fabulous job picking out the tile? :)

 

The floor tiles will match these border tiles, though the picture makes them look lighter than they are. I can’t wait to see it all come together, and to show you!

There you have it! The boys have put in lots of hours and it is surely paying off. Curtis is on his own this weekend (Evan is at home in Durham), but I know I’ll still have lots to report.  Oh, and one more thing…

 
The toilet “nook” is fully drywalled! This is a big deal both because all of the drywall is now complete and because that means that all of the plumbing for the tub/shower is finished. We have running water again! Woo hoo!

transformation in progress: bathroom (day 4)

Curtis and Evan certainly did not get a true Sabbath yesterday. While Cooper and I went to church, they stayed home and kept on keepin’ on….

 
They finished putting up the last of the drywall.

 

 
Unfortunately, the work doesn’t stop there. Drywall is such a process. There was a lot of this tedious work going on.

In the middle of it all though, there was something unbelievably un-tedious and dramatic. I came home from church to find the frame of….

 
… a linen closet! Can you believe that?! Out of nowhere!

 

 
Old houses aren’t exactly known for an abundance of storage space. We aren’t going to know what to do with all of that shelf room! Okay, so maybe I have a few ideas.

 

 
Not only had they built a closet, but they had put the vanity in it’s place. All of the sudden it was looking like a real bathroom again!

 

 
Speaking of the vanity, we need to give a HUGE shout-out to our friends Brooke and Dave. Not only did they generously give us their old vanity, but Dave searched for and found FREE faucets for both our sink and our bathtub through his job!  We can’t thank them enough. And it’s all going to look amazing!

 

Also amazing? The amount of dust and dirt that exists in my house right now. On Saturday, after I took a shower, I had to put on my old flip-flops to walk around downstairs. I determined that they were indeed cleaner than the floor. Woe is me, right?

 

Curtis and Evan will probably be working a little bit each night (after school, work, and family obligations), so I will probably do a cumulative update at the end of the work week. But don’t worry, there is plenty more to come! We are ALL going to be sick of this project by the end.  :)

transformation in progress: bathroom (days 2 & 3)

Apparently, chronicling a project is not my strong suit. Despite my spotty photojournalism, Evan and Curtis have been HARD at work! Here’s what’s been going on:

Day 2 (Friday)

By midday Friday, this is what was left of the bathroom floor. They ripped up all of the laminate and plywood floor…. goodbye pink roses!!

 

 
After a massive trip to Lowes (thank goodness for Evan’s truck and expertise!), the reconstruction began. They began cutting and laying the rockboard, piecing the floor back together.

 

 
Several months ago, we bought a one-piece bath/shower insert at a clearance lot (for only $25!). We were pretty excited about the money and time saved by not having to tile the shower. However, our doorframe did not like the idea- the insert wouldn’t fit through. Oops! Result- a lovely new white tub and another trip to the tile store by me!

 

Cooper LOVES (I repeat, LOVES) to watch the action in the bathroom. Before the new bathtub was put in, he kept holding his hands up in an “I don’t know” gesture and saying, “bath?”. Pretty confusing for a little guy.

 

Day 3 (Saturday)

 
Curtis got an early start on Saturday, cutting and attaching some sheetrock to the walls. Evan joined him shortly and started working on the (many) plumbing issues.

 

This is what he had to work with. Can you see that?? They assured me that this was the drain pipe so I wasn’t quite as disgusted. Needless to say, though, the pipes needed a lot of love. Evan spent most of the morning dealing with those.

 

 
Thankfully, the boys had some extra help. Our friend Ben generously volunteered his Saturday, spending most of it helping Curtis hang drywall. I even had some extra help too! Kelly, Evan’s fun wife, agreed to help me shop for tile. Since I am the world’s worst decision-maker, it helps to bring someone along who will give me a firm opinion. I love that!

The workday ended a little early. Curtis and I took yet another trip to Lowes and made it back just in time to join Evan & Kelly and watch Tennessee hold their own against Florida. Our great friends Seth, Katie, and sweet baby Emery even came over to watch part of the game with us! All in all, I think it was a much-needed boost for the boys’ weary souls. Of course, a win might’ve been an even bigger boost. :)

More on today’s progress later… slowly but surely, we’re getting there!

transformation in progress : bathroom (day 1)

I absolutely hate doing things out of order… I think it is the bit of OCD with which my parents blessed me. :) This was too fun an opportunity, though, not to let you be a part of the process.

First, let me introduce you, just the way we were introduced 4 years ago…

 
The downstairs bathroom. The pink bathroom. When we bought this house, I swore that this would be the first room that we renovated. The first. *Drapery alert!*

 

With gold, cream, and pink as the main decor, it was about as 60’s- and unacceptable- as you can get.

 The gold trim on the cabinets had been hand painted on. To coordinate with the staircase, perhaps??

 

Now, let me show you the bathroom today. Or yesterday, to be exact…

Wait. That can’t be right. Exactly the same?

Yes. Exactly. Hold on. No. We did take down the draperies.

 

But, finally, it was time. Time for transformation…

 
Curtis (my excellently handyman of a husband)  and Evan (our roommate/personal contractor) tackled the paneling first.

 

And there was lots of carrying OUT. AWAY. It was so good for my heart! First, the cabinetry.

 

 
Then, the pink 15-gallon per flush toilet.

 

 
They even managed to get the pink cast iron tub out and into Evan’s truck! Of course, it took two extra sets of hands and caused some slight property damage. But it’s gone. In fact, the scrap metal place paid $20 for it!

 

 
They ended the day just in time for Thursday TV night, which is pretty sacred in our house.

 

 
Not bad for 1/2 a day’s work!

Hopefully, I can post on today’s (Day 2) work later tonight.