Big Time

Pretty excited that our bathroom was featured on Better After!  I have gotten a few emails about what we did, so I figured I should go ahead and do a full post of what we did and pictures.  So here goes!

When we bought the house we loved how big the master bath was, but we weren’t in love with the 1990’s theme.  After we got the main things done in the house, like flooring, paint, opening walls, etc… we decided it was time to tackle our bathroom.  One of my best friends at work told me to talk to her husband who owns a tile company.  Jumped on that idea!  He completely helped us out and totally hooked us up.  He came over almost every night to help us (and by us I mean Jeremy and my dad) lay tile.  Here are the demo/before pictures.
 

Phase Two:
We, somehow, have many amazing connections.  One of our friends was a plumber and helped us raise the shower head about a foot since Jeremy is so dang tall.  Then we (again, Jeremy and friends & family) put up cement boards and built a half-wall for the shower where the door was.  This was a task!!
*I can’t find a picture of the half-wall without tile, sorry!*
 

Phase Three:
This was the major phase!  Tile time!  We got a medallion for the center of the floor so that is what we put down first.  Then we just tiled the rest of the floor from there.  This took a while but the results were amazing :) 

Phase Four:
We tiled right onto the front of the tub, which was nice that we didn’t have to replace it.  Pricey!  Victor, from Beshea Tile, did all the shower flooring.  He made it slope down to the drain so that the water would flow right.  It was insane to see how quick he did it.  Then again, he has been doing this for 30 years!  We also tiled the top half of the shower first (including around the tub), let it set, tiled the bottom half, let it set, and then tiled the border between.  Finally we tiled the wall.  The bathroom was finally coming together!

        
Phase Five:
We textured and painted the walls, installed new windows, put molding around the windows, completed the crown molding, installed a new toilet, put two individual mirrors up, and put some decor up.  We aren’t done yet, but we are getting there!
 

Some people have asked if our shower gets water everywhere since we don’t have glass or a door and the answer is nope!  A little bit of water splashes towards the bath mat, but that’s it.  We just use a squeegee (sp?!) that we hide.

Hope you enjoyed the post!

Surprise!

As we all know I have little to no will power when it comes to certain things, like food, presents, etc…  When Jeremy came home today he had my birthday gift ready to go.  Sneaky Jer, he ordered it and had it sent to his parents so I couldn’t figure out what it was.  I knew I wouldn’t wait until tomorrow to open it up (we both knew this).  I guessed that it was the Glee DVD but the bag was way too light.  Jeremy gave me a hint that I have asked for this item numerous times.  Got it!  I remembered that the other week I showed him a Betsey Johnson necklace and earring set online.  I am so very smart.

Skip to one hour (being generous here) later and I decided it was close enough to my birthday to open my gift.  Much to my surprise it was not at all what I thought; it was a pair of Ralph Lauren sunglasses that I saw & fell in love with LAST summer while we are on vacation in Florida!!  Ever since then I have looked for them here and never found them.  I never searched far and wide, but every time we go to Nordstrom’s Rack, TJ, Dillards, anywhere…. I would look through the sunglasses for this pair or something similar.

Of course, I love my gift, but what makes me even happier is that Jeremy really pays attention to all the little things that I do and say.  It delights my heart that Jeremy remembered something that I liked and have secretly wanted for almost a year.  He picked up on the fact that every time we are about to leave Nordstrom I take a quick glance at the sunglass section to see if I hit the jackpot.

Just one of the very many, many, many reasons why I love my husband more and more each day.  He will do anything and everything he can just to make me smile :)

Should I….?

I do not love the look of my blog and have been looking for new backgrounds and a header, but nothing seems to really hit the spot.  I think I need to bit the bullet and get a custom blog make-over!  Searching on websites I found out that it isn’t a cheap thing.  Some people were asking over $100 for the background alone.  Hell to the no!

THEN, I found this lovely site while just browsing from blog to blog.  The Frilly Coconut  Do you just love her portfolio like I do?!  Here are a few of my favorite blogs that she has done.

I think the last one may be my favorite because I have been on a green kick lately. 

The best part is the price!  Only $40 to completely redo the WHOLE blog!  Sounds pretty wonderful to me.  So, should I do it?  I told Jeremy about it the other day but he didn’t seem to have any sort of opinion either way.  I am just impressed he reads my blog.

My birthday is Wednesday.  Maybe that will be my gift to myself?!

Oh Life

10 updates on life.

1.  I finally finished our couch pillows.  It took me almost 2 weeks because I didn’t want to hand sew the closings, but I finally did as we watched basketball last night.  So glad to have a color besides gold and red in our living room.
 

2.  We painted our arm chair today since it was a gorgeous out.  The picture outside is of the chair primed and then the final product.  The color is actually porcelain and it looks more white in the photo.  I am very happy with the result.

3.  Speaking of chairs….. I got two more bad boys!  Any ideas of what I should do with them?  Jeremy isn’t convinced that I am going to make them into some amazing, but I have faith!

4.  I got this table that I just need to strip and refinish, but I love the shape of the table.  For $10 I couldn’t say no.  Obviously, since it is in my garage.

5.  Our pool is so close to finishing.  They did the first phase of the stamped concrete today and we are so excited to take pictures of the final result.

6.  My students take TAKS in a little over 4 weeks and I am already stressed about it.  90% of my students will do fine, but there are some that are just so borderline that it could go either way.  I have one or two that are so far away from passing that I am struggling to hold onto hope.  Sad.  I need an attitude adjustment asap.

7.  Jeremy is having friends over tonight to watch the UFC fights.  I like having his friends over, they make me laugh a lot.  One of his friends has asked me to make him pillows for his couch because he wants all new stuff.  Uh oh… small business time!  You know, make 4 pillows for someone once a year.  I will make millions on this.

8.  My birthday is Wednesday.  I asked for Glee Season 1 on DVD.  I hope I get it!!  One of my sweet, sweet students found out that I like sour straws and bought me 3 packages of them.  How lucky am I that I love my job.  Attitude has been adjusted.

9.  Glee Season 2 starts April 13th.  I watched a commercial and at the end I started screaming and clapping because I got so excited.  I am going to have a party by myself that night.  Feel free to join via TV.

10.  My sister is having another boy this summer!  We are so thrilled to have another baby around.  I hope they name him after me…. Emilio Brown.  Just rolls off the tongue.

Spring + Snow = Say What?!

The first day of spring it snowed in Tejas.  Really?  Hello sickness, how I have not missed you.  Today it was 76… go figure.

Our pool is coming along nicely.  The stone work is complete with the spill ways.  Lovely.  They have also cleared the extra seating area and poured the concrete.  Next step stamped concrete and then finishing out the pool!  CANNOT WAIT!
 

I bought some new fabrics that I lurve.  I made a few pillows but I am not done so no pictures of the outcome.  Jeremy and I did, finally, reupholster the seat of a chair for our bedroom.  Of course, when we wanted to paint it it SNOWED.  Jeremy also finished the coke box for my dad’s birthday.  Turned out amazing!

And lastly, Jeremy bought himself the original Nintendo with something like 70 games.  Ridiculous.  Here is what I found him doing yesterday.  Ignore the chair (we are getting rid of it but have yet to move it to the garage because….well… I am lazy).  Apparently, the windex helps when the games won’t work??

American Idol time.  Miley Cyrus… ugh.

And….and…..and

So much to blog about!  First things first, Spring Break started Friday at 3:45.  That is when I sprinted out the front door with textbooks and papers in hand.  They are still in my car, does that mean something?

Bella’s birthday party was Saturday and we had a great time, as did Ms. Bella!  She is a bit of a ham and loves to be the center of attention, so she loved everyone watching her at all times.  Sadly, my batteries in my camera died as she was opening presents, so here are a few of what I got.


Uncle Jim and my cousin, Heather, were in town for the weekend and we loved getting to spend time with them.  As always, I took one picture from my parents house and they aren’t even in it.  What is wrong with me???  (but isn’t it adorable!?)


In other news…. painted for a few hours today.  It was GORGEOUS outside.  After a workout I threw on my paint clothes and just painted away.  Did I tell you that I found a dresser down the street that was on the curb?  Yes, I made Jeremy and Brad get it for me.  Nothing wrong with it, why not have some fun?


You like?  I do!

I also bought this chair off craigslist for SUPER cheap and I love the shape of it.  No idea what I am going to do with it yet.  I don’t think I can tackle that upholstery, but we shall see.


I finally painted another chair.  I still need to sand it a bit to get some character back, but it is getting there.  Slowly, but surely… it is becoming a likeable piece.


We still need to redo another chair we bought which we can do ourselves.  Hopefully this week that will be done.  We ran out of time before dinner and now I am busy doing laundry and being lazy.  Such is life.

Our pool is coming along!!!!  In another day or two the long step with the spill-ways will be all stoned in and working.  Can’t wait :)  We just love coming home and seeing the progress that has been made. 


Finally, I have decided that my life would be better if I could buy workout pants and other bottoms in Smedium!  (Pronunciation: Shm-edian)  That would be half way between a small and a medium.  I can fit into a small but two more pounds and I am out.  Mediums are too big… it is just a never ending cycle of disappointment.  But, we ran to the mall with Jeremy’s mom today and we found great Nike Capris that fit AND were on sale.  Double whammy.  Lisa is getting me a pair for my birthday and I bought a pair for now. 

Isn’t life grand?