Decisions...

March 15, 2008
Yet another work day on the bathroom has been completed. Hubby continued working on the insulation and siding while Gary completed the soffit work. Now for the decision about roofing (will the decisions ever end? I am beginning to wonder!) Anyway, because we were unable to match our current shingles exactly we have decided to go with a tin roof on the addition. Since it is a very small section of roof that is not very noticeable from the front of the house we thought that a tin roof would be a good idea. We hope to someday do the rest of the roof in this manner so this section will be done already. As with everything else I believed the only choice to be made was color-wrong again! There must be half a dozen different types of metal roof styles. Luckily hubby made that choice so all I had to do was choose a color. This, believe it or not, was one of the easiest choices. As much as I like the green roof I went with something more in keeping with our current roof, charcoal grey. And so that will be ordered (soon I hope).
On a more expensive note, mom called me from the antique mall today because she found a beautiful old mirror that would work well as a full length mirror in the bathroom. Of course I told her to go ahead and buy it-after all, it’s just money, right?

· Labor payment to Greg-$300
· Large antique mirror-$150

March 16, 2008
Hubby continued to work on the insulation today. He will call the building inspector tomorrow to set up the inspection date. Now, I would very much like to paint the walls over spring break; however, the sheet rock has not even been ordered yet. When I mentioned my plans last week to Gary and hubby about painting over spring break the response was quick and decisive-‘No problem’. Spring break starts this Good Friday and the last word on this subject from Gary was advice to hubby (Saturday) to NOT get the sheet rock until the roofing was done in case of leaks. The roof color was just selected yesterday, it has yet to be ordered, more or less delivered or ready to be installed, but the walls will be up and ready to paint by this Friday? Do these guys even think about what they are saying? I think not!
Beep, Beep, Beep goes the bus!

Progress...

March 1, 2008
Pauly and hubby worked on the bathroom again today. Pauly ran more of the plumbing while hubby worked on the siding. The only thing left at this point is to put up the insulation and then get it inspected so that the interior work can begin.

March 7, 2008
Hubby drove to Pooler, GA today to get the siding.

March 8, 2008
Hubby and Pauly worked for a few hours on the bathroom today. Pauly finished up the plumbing work and tested it-it works. He and hubby also put up some of the insulation. It is my understanding that there were no major injuries although I heard a few crashes.

March 11, 2008
Hubby came home from work and put up more of the insulation. The insulation is almost complete.

March 12, 2008
Gary came out and worked yesterday on the soffits and the dryer vent. He was able to complete one side and will be out tomorrow to do more.
· Paid for Gary’s services: $140
· Siding supplies: $160


March 13, 2008
Gary worked again all day today and completed most of the soffit work. Hubby in turn came home and has most of the front side sided. He sustained a minor injury when he hit his hand with the hammer but nothing of significance. The inspector will be called today and will hopefully pass us tomorrow (Friday) or on Monday.
As for the living room, we now have the cabinet that we purchased sitting in the walkway between it and the dining room. The only thing we need now is a toilet and we will have a full bathroom in the living room! The question now is this-will the bathroom be complete before the rest of the house is filled with bathroom supplies? It makes one wonder, after all, how all of this ‘bathroom stuff’ that is currently stored in the spare bedroom, library, and living room is going to actually fit in the ‘walk-in closet sized’ bathroom. Hmmm…perhaps there will be a yard sale or should I say ‘bath sale’ in our future. I would like to say our ‘near’ future but I dare not show my optimism for fear that it may come back to haunt me!

On and on we go...

February 16, 2008
I arrived home after a week in Alexandria, Va to find that hubby had built the foundation for the platform and filled the hole in the area below the pedestal sink with concrete. Things are a movin’ and a groovin’!

February 17, 2008
After church hubby and Pauly got to work. This was probably the messiest and loudest part of the construction so far as they had to cut concrete for the bathtub plumbing (after all, it’s all about the tub!). Aside from some minor injuries (Pauly banged his hand and a significant asthma attack on hubby’s part) all seemed to go well. However, the dust factor was something of a problem. Never have I ever seen a cloud of dust so thick and so suffocating! This job took over an hour but when the dust finally settled (which took several hours) the plumbing for the tub was complete. Pauly made the statement that we were in the home stretch of completion now. I reminded him that I was a bit skeptical on this subject. I went on to say that I was amazed that on HGTV they finish projects like this in two days to which he responded that not only that but they have commercial breaks as well. (Now mind you, I haven’t been behind the wheel of the bus for over a week). My response was that hubby is always on a commercial break. Hubby responded with a very simple yet profound, ‘beep, beep, beep’.

February 25, 2008
It was something of a slow weekend for the bathroom work. Hubby was out of town and Pauly had another job on Saturday. Despite its sitting in the middle of the living room floor the tub is actually being utilized as a toy box, or should I say ‘tub box’, for the cat and dog toys. It works very well for this as the dogs won’t jump into the tub to get the cat toys (show me a dog that willingly jumps into a bathtub!) or the dog toys that are in need of some repair before being played with again. Of course, Kramer has no problem jumping into the tub and pulling out his cat toys. He’s pretty good at it. He jumps onto the edge of the tub and surveys all of the toys below before swooping down, grabbing one, and taking it outside of the tub for play. He can actually walk around on the edge of the tub while he spies the toys within.
Last night I decided to sit in the tub and read. I stuffed a few pillows and a blanket in there, curled up with a glass of wine, and began reading. Kramer seemed quite interested in this. Obviously I had removed all of the toys from the tub before I climbed in. It’s really a very comfortable place to read-even without the water. Anyway, I noticed Kramer’s fascination with my being in the tub so I grabbed his fishing pole toy and began to whirl it around the outside base of the tub. He thought this was great fun and began to run around the tub at full speed chasing the fish at the end of the pole. So if you can picture it, I am in the tub with a glass of wine, a book, and a fish-on-the-pole cat toy while the cat is running in circles full speed around the tub chasing it. Now you’ve got the idea! Other than that there is not much else to report. The shingles and siding are still not here (so much for the ‘it only takes a day to get it’). One would think that white vinyl siding would be pretty straightforward but apparently not. There are different grades of white and different fake wood textures. Nothing is simple, not even white vinyl siding. And so I suppose the hold-up in the siding delivery is that they are trying to match the siding exactly.

February 29, 2008
Well there is no sign of the siding or shingles that were ordered and there are more excuses for this delay than there are bubbles in a bathtub so hubby has started shopping at a home improvement store for these things. In addition, we are looking for a quiet fan vent for the bathroom. Hubby had to special order the new dryer vent to fit under the eaves of the addition which arrived a couple of days ago.
On a lighter note, Joan’s daughter is selling things for a fundraiser at school. I paged through the catalogs looking for something inexpensive and found a darling ceramic claw foot tub that held bath oils and such. I figured it would look cute sitting in the bathroom. Then I decided that perhaps we should start a poll to see which would happen first, the completion of the bathroom or the arrival of the ceramic bathtub. Hmmm. I bet I know the answer…beep, beep, beep goes the bus.

An en'lightening' experience and new discoveries!

February 6, 2008
Hubby spoke with our friend (an electrician) about the wiring for the bathroom. He will be out Thursday to look at the layout. Now I have to decide where all of the fixtures will go. We will be adding some switches and outlets too. Also, hubby finally ordered the shingles and the siding on Tuesday.

Yay!

February 7, 2008
Our electrician came to look at the bathroom to see how to wire it. After some discussion it was decided that the chandelier would hang in the center of the old bathroom section, sconces would be on each side of the mirror over the sink, and the other two sconces would be on either side of the center window in the new addition. The outlet in the main section will be moved and a double switch and two outlets will be added to the new section. He is supposed to come out tomorrow to do all of the wiring.
On Monday night Gary offered to help hubby with the siding and shingles which was greatly appreciated. With all of this help we are bound to get this project going!

February 8, 2008
Friday afternoon our electrician came to the house to wire the bathroom for electrical sockets, light switches, and the sconces. He worked hard and got much accomplished including cleaning up the work area when he was done. This amazed me as it was cleaner than when he arrived! He will be out tomorrow to finish most of the job.

February 9, 2008
Electrician arrived early to complete most of the wiring. Now we need to purchase the fan vent so that he can finish up that part. He installed the box for the chandelier where the old fan vent was located. Because there is a large hole in the ceiling we will have to purchase a medallion to cover it. So much for my creative idea to use antique picture frames as the medallions.
On a side note, while the electrician was going up into the attic to work (attic access is in the hallway) he noticed that both of our hallway light fixtures were askew. I explained that hubby had installed those but in his defense they were installed correctly. However, being constantly wacked with ladders or ironing boards tends to make them hang funny (woooosh goes the bus!). He told me that he would come back another day to fix them for me. When hubby got home from Bible study I told him about our electrician friend offering to fix the hall lights. Hubby took it all in good humor and then asked if he could also fix the ceiling fan in the living room. (I’m thinking, ceiling fan? What’s wrong with the ceiling fan?) Hubby proceeded to tell us that he had to ‘rig’ the light fixture part when installing it and when the fan is on high that the light fixture turns with it. Ughhhh!!! At that point, being the new project manager, I fired hubby for all future electrical endeavors and made our friend my new ‘official electrician’. He accepted. OK, enough of the off-task conversations and back to the bathroom.
A short time later Gary and Pauly arrived. All were introduced to each other (our electrician friend introduced himself as ‘Kim’s electrician’) and the work continued. When Pauly first came in I apologized for not having called him during the week. I was glad that hubby had gotten in touch with him to which Pauly responded that no one had called. He just decided to come over and work. This is why I have made him the assistant project manager! Works hard, works fast, and comes without being called-that’s a pretty good resume!
Then there was another decision to be made! The platform layout and shape needed to be decided upon before they could go any further (funny, I thought this was already taken care of but apparently not). After a very lengthy discussion the original plan of building the platform from the new opening of the bathroom was changed to just inside of the new section so that it would blend in better (you kinda have to see it to understand).
I left to go downtown and told Pauly to make sure that hubby and Gary worked hard and that he (Pauly) was in charge.
When I arrived home a few hours later the plumbing for the pedestal sink was complete although some changes were necessary there too. Because of the new platform layout the plumbing would have to run through the ceiling instead of under the platform for the sink which was already completed by the time I arrived home. The header was complete, the room opening finished, and the fan vent re-routed. Not bad for a Saturday! It’s amazing how much work can get done with four men led by a female project manager (heehee)!
While I was out I found a few more things for the bathroom to add to the long list of items piling up around the house:
· Small oriental rug on clearance $12
· Small crystal clock (so that I don’t soak too long) $6.95

Mom and grandma went to the antique mall (you know what’s coming don’t you?) and found a lovely old mirror for over the pedestal sink for $45.

And the price tag rises...

February 2, 2008
Hubby got home from his Bible study and began immediately to work on removing the bathroom wall. As Hubby started removing parts of the wall it gave us the first glimpse of the bathroom as a whole room. I needed to go downtown but hubby asked me to wait until Pauly got there so I could tell him about the new vanity placement. I told him that I didn’t need to be there and for him to ASK Pauly if it would work. I then left to go downtown. When I arrived home a few hours later I was amazed. Not only was the wall completely removed but the toilet and vanity were also gone and Pauly had re-plumbed for the new vanity location. The bathroom looked so spacious and roomy! (Keep in mind that there were no fixtures in there which may have contributed to its roomy appearance). The guys then asked me how far from the new wall opening I wanted the vanity to be placed. As we were discussing this it hit me that the toilet appeared as if it were almost directly across from the vanity (the vanity is 36” wide and 18” deep). I questioned them on this point. With puzzled looks they began to measure. As it turns out there was very little space to walk between the vanity and the toilet. This was fine for little me but anyone bigger would have to turn sideways to walk between the two fixtures. Mind you this wasn’t a minor glitch-this was a full blown dilemma! Hubby said that I was the one that wanted the vanity moved to which I responded that I wanted him to ASK if it would work there. He asked alright but followed it with a ‘she wants it moved over here’. After an hour of discussion as to how to address the situation (and a small tantrum or two on my part) the solutions were evident but not necessarily desirable.
1. Place the vanity in the new locale and walk past it carefully so as not to run into it (and gain no weight or I’d be crawling over the toilet to get to the tub).
2. Turn the toilet to the side and build a half wall behind it to hide the plumbing and place the china cabinet on the other side of the half wall.
2 ¾ . Drink heavily and throw a fit.
3. Put the plumbing and the vanity back in its original location and place the china cabinet across from the toilet.
Number ‘3’ continued to present a problem in that the china cabinet placed across from the toilet would create the same small passageway (yes the china cabinet is somewhat necessary as this is providing additional storage). Another idea was to move the toilet to the old vanity location which would require the cement floor being cut up. Another problem with this idea was that the toilet would be the first image one saw upon entering the bathroom (where this might be acceptable to men it was a less than ideal situation for a woman). By now I was too tired to think, not to mention extremely frustrated. We all decided that after church the next day we would meet at the shop, bring the vanity home, and try arranging things to determine what would work best. I called mom later to get her input about the vanity situation. She wasn’t thrilled with either solution and suggested returning the vanity to its original placement (so much for the new arrangement). This also meant that the china cabinet would probably not be used requiring Darryl to custom build cabinets for storage purposes. And so ends another day in the bathtub saga!

February 3, 2008
By golly I’ve got it!!! Scrap the vanity and install a pedestal sink instead! After all, it’s just money! The vanity was going to provide very little storage once converted to hide plumbing, not to mention it was purchased before the bathroom addition idea came about (remember initially we were just going to re-tile the floor and add the 1950’s Victorian style dresser-converted-to-a-vanity with a new sink but then we found out we could add-on and have a claw foot tub too. Seems like months ago doesn’t it? Oh that’s right-it was months ago!) Yes, I’m drinking caffeine while I write this! This solution seemed the most viable as it solved all of the dilemmas from the previous workday. The pedestal sink would be installed in the new location with plenty of room between it and the toilet, and the china cabinet would be placed to the right of the toilet (where the vanity used to be) providing a lovely first impression when entering the bathroom. I would sell the dresser that was going to be used as the vanity in the shop and recoup our money. Problem solved!

But wait, there’s more.

We went to a home improvement chain store after church to purchase the pedestal sink. Several different styles and sizes of sinks lined the shelves. By now you know me well enough to know that I was drawn to the very expensive Kohler sink ($230). However, I continued looking and found a comparable looking off-name brand sink for a fraction of the cost ($95). I asked the salesman for assistance in purchasing the sink just to be told that almost all of the pedestal sinks were sold out. I was only interested in two of the sinks-the expensive Kohler and the affordable off-name brand. Guess which of the two sinks was sold out? Yup-the bargain priced off-name brand sink! Hmmm. Guess the Kohler it is!

· Kohler sink-$230
· Kohler pedestal base (yes you have to pay extra for the blooming base!)-$100
Oh stop all that gasping! I know it’s a lot of money but it is a very good sink. It is about quality, is it not?

But wait, there’s more.

The faucet we purchased a few years ago (still in the box waiting for hubby to install it in the old vanity-beep, beep, beep-that’s the sound of the bus backing over hubby as I write this) is a one piece unit that worked well for the old vanity and what was going to be the new vanity. Unfortunately pedestal sinks don’t take one piece faucet sets-they need split sets. Ok, not a big problem-we’ll look at the faucets. The first one that I liked was a whopping big $188! Let’s try this again. Next I found a beautiful Victorian style split faucet in the nickel finish (tub fixtures are nickel). The best part was that it was on sale for $98! WooHoo! Finally a bargain! We searched all of the shelves for this faucet but could not find it. We asked the salesman about it and he informed us that not only were they sold out but the faucet was discontinued. The search resumed. Alas, after looking at several faucets (including the special order one that hubby liked for $315) we decided on the $188 faucet that I liked originally. In addition to all of this I needed a new toilet paper dispenser ($24), a new toilet seat ($11.98), and a nickel finished toilet bowl handle ($19.98). Ironically I thought that the whole pedestal sink shopping spree would only cost a couple of hundred dollars (stop laughing-it’s not funny! Well, yeah, I guess it is kinda funny).
We arrived home to find Pauly waiting. He and hubby fitted the last window opening and did some more plumbing work.
On the brighter side, since Pauly started helping us there has been more accomplished on the bathroom in two days then there had been in the past month (Oops there goes that blasted bus again!). Pauly is a work horse and never stopped-he just kept on working. Hubby even seemed to work faster with Pauly there. I should have taken over as project manager months ago! Maybe if I had I would be soaking in a tub by now!
After they had finished for the day Pauly recommended a contractor friend from his church to install the siding and shingles (Hubby was going to do this but at this point I am trying to save some time). Pauly also offered to help hubby with the sheetrock installation and suggested his brother-in-law to do the dry walling. I liked the idea and told him to give my number to his friend so I could get an estimate. I noticed hubby looking at me with concern on his face (or maybe it was fear-you know wanting to say ‘but dear, I can do all of that for free’ but too afraid to see the reaction of the wicked wife/project manager standing before him-not to mention fear of the darn bus that she’s driving). Being the new project manager all decisions are mine and they are final (no negotiating!). I intend to get this project finished and pay whoever is willing to help me (except for hubby-he’s been paying since he married me).
Did I mention that the new pedestal sink is also being stored in the living room since the library and the spare bedroom are full? I guess that means that we currently have a living room/bathroom combo.

And the story continues...

January 14, 2008
The weekend was very productive for the bathroom construction! Darryl put the plastic covering on the plywood walls (the stuff that the siding goes over) on Saturday afternoon. He started to install the windows but found that the manufacturer apparently made them about ¾ of an inch smaller than was ordered.
On Sunday Darryl got materials to adapt the window openings to the window size. He was very successful and installed the two small side windows. Now it is starting to look more like an actual room!
In the meantime, Kramer continues to claim the living room based tub as his play space. He has discovered that it is great fun to shove his paws through the ‘Mickey Mouse’ looking faucet holes in the tub, reaching for whatever is on the other side (even the things that are only apparent in his mind). He has also discovered that the tub is a great place to lie around and relax. I hear there may be some sort of territorial scuffle once the tub is installed between Kramer and me (I can see it now-Cat vs. Kim for tub custody).
Now as simple and productive as this entire weekend of bathroom construction sounds it was not without some prodding on my part. Darryl seemed quite comfortable relaxing in the tub Sunday afternoon watching the football game. I reminded him that there was work to be done on the bathroom yet he continued to relax in the tub. After several more reminders his obvious need to escape my prompts prevailed (Ok let’s call it what it is-nagging) and he finally went outside to work accomplishing the window installation! Yay!

January 22, 2008
It’s been a while since I have updated the bathtub diaries. Well let’s see, that is because NOTHING HAS HAPPENED! Ugh! The next few steps are fairly simple. Put up the vinyl siding, shingle the roof, and install the last window. Oh but wait, I suppose in order to put up siding and shingle the roof one would in fact need to have the siding (and the shingles too for that matter). I asked Darryl last night when he planned on ordering these items. His response was that it would only take a day for them to come in. Apparently it takes several weeks for the order to be placed! After all, what’s the rush, right? The cat is definitely enjoying the tub as his playground in the middle of the living room floor. I am once again inviting friends over for tea-I don’t even seem to notice the tub in the middle of the living room floor anymore. It has become a fixture there. (If you haven’t noticed my patience is beginning to run ever-so-slightly thinJ). Granted the weather has been somewhat cold and damp the past week or two. This is why we started this project back in October-so it could be complete before the winter weather set in. (Notice the huge burst of laughter that is rattling my walls as I type). Darryl mentioned a week long trip that he hopes to take in July with his quartet members. I reiterated what I told him a few weeks ago (yes you know me well enough to know that I actually said this) that he could take NO trips until the bathroom is complete. His response was that hopefully by July it would be done. Of course, in my most loving manner, I responded that one would hope so. Then again, it was supposed to be done by the end of October! So here we are in January with a tub in the living room, an empty shell of a bathroom addition, piles of inspection papers, fixtures, lights, and other accoutrements, and a very frustrated woman awaiting the simple task of soaking in a tub!

January 25, 2008
Kramer continues to enjoy the playground with the big roll top sides…
No sign of siding or shingles.

January 28, 2008
Well it’s Monday morning. The most significant progress regarding the bathroom was a humorous email sent to me by a good friend. Ironically, the section about people born under my astrological sign (in this email it was a crawfish) stated that we prefer to relax in a bathtub as opposed to the living room. Hmmm. I wonder what it means when the bathtub is IN the living room! No wonder I am such a confused person-my bathtub is in the wrong place. I believe the only cure for such a displacement is to move the bathtub from the living room to the bathroom. Maybe I should start a contest to see who can guess closest to the date that the bathroom is actually completed. The winner will get the first soak in the tub. Each entry will cost five dollars. Maybe I could make enough money to pay someone to make it happen. Not likely. (I will probably get the ‘you threw me under the bus again’ speech from my beloved husband and bathroom contractor once he reads these updates). Perhaps instead of my sign being a crawfish it should have been a crab because I’m startin’ to get a bit crabby about this whole thing!!!

WHAT'S YOUR SOUTHERN SIGN?
Some of us Southerners are pretty skeptical of horoscopes and the people that read them. If we are to ever fully understand all the star signs and the people they represent, we need symbols that all true Southerners understand: See the list below...y'all. CRAWFISH (May 22 - June 21) Crawfish is a water sign. If you work in an office, you're hanging around the water cooler. Crawfish prefer the beach to the mountains, the pool to the golf course, and the bathtub to the living room. You tend not to be particularly attractive physically, but you have very, very good heads.

I believe that this description needs a little bit of tweaking for my situation. Let’s see if I can’t improve this a bit.
Crawfish is a water sign. If you work in an office (or a school) you are daydreaming obsessively about soaking in a bathtub. Crawfish prefer the bath to the shower, shopping to the golf course (shopping for bathroom luxuries of course), and to have their bathtub in the bathroom instead of the living room. You tend to be extraordinarily attractive with a good head on your shoulders (or should I say pinchers?).
Oh did I mention that there is no ‘sign’ of shingles or siding?

January 30, 2008
While at the shop today I spoke with Pauly (plumber) who offered once again to help with the bathroom construction. This time I said YES! It’s time that I take this tub by the faucet and get this project done! I explained that the siding and the shingles needed to be put up next. When Darryl arrived a short time later I explained the plans I had made with Pauly to help with the installation of the siding and shingles. Darryl told me that he had yet to order the shingles and siding. I said then order them tomorrow for Saturday. No can do-they wouldn’t be in on a Saturday. Hmmm. Another stumbling block? I think not! Then it occurred to me-if Darryl had not ordered the siding and the shingles then what exactly had he planned to do on the bathroom over the entire weekend (for which the weather forecast is beautiful, warm weather). I had been told that the shingles and siding were the next step in the process. So I said ‘enough is enough-I’m taking over as Project Manager! I informed Darryl that Pauly would be out on Saturday to work on the bathroom.
‘Doing what’, he asked.
‘Removing the vanity, toilet, and removing the wall between the new and old sections of the bathroom’, I responded.
‘I was going to do that’ was his response.
‘Well now it will go faster because there will be two of you working on it’, I said.
Darryl could cut the hole in the wall while Pauly took out the vanity and the toilet. (It seems that accepting help is as difficult for a man as asking for directions). At this point Darryl realized that there was no arguing the point and to go with the new project manager’s decision.J (stop saying ‘poor Darryl’-I know that you are saying that right now!)
Now mind you the changing of the project manager was not the only change taking place. Remember that white cabinet I purchased from the antique mall a few months ago that was now in the shop being used to display china while awaiting completion of the bathroom? Well a beautiful, yet slightly smaller, china cabinet came into the antique shop. Wow, it sure was pretty. It was smaller than the white one with what appeared to be more storage space. And the price was right. But alas I had already purchased the white cabinet. (Yeah, you know what’s coming don’t you)? Lisa knew where it was heading too so she got the tape measure and we started measuring the dimensions of both pieces. We chatted about it further and came to the conclusion that the best solution would be to put a price tag on the white cabinet , sell it, and buy the smaller china cabinet (even though we still didn’t know at this point whether either would fit in the bathroom)! So the price tag went on the white cabinet and a sold tag went on the slightly smaller china cabinet.
In addition to all of this, Lisa and I discussed the bathroom layout. I told her that I was still unsure as to whether a cabinet would even fit in the bathroom. I drew the layout for her and she offered a wonderful solution. She suggested that we move the vanity to the opposite wall thus freeing up the wall to the right of the toilet where the china cabinet would fit. I liked the idea being that the current location of the vanity was tight when the bathroom door is open. I shared the idea with Darryl later and we decided to ask Pauly when he arrived on Saturday if it would work.

The Toy Tub

January 10, 2008
After several phone calls the building inspector came out yesterday and approved the bathroom structure!

It passed! WooHoo!
Now the fun begins! Hubby has to contact our developer for the shingles and siding. In the meantime Kramer continues to use the living-room based bathtub for play despite the removal of the silk poinsettias. Granted he does not play as long, being that there are only a couple of his toys in the tub, but he still plays nonetheless. The tub actually works well as a fort for him to attack the dogs as they walk by. The dogs have yet to attempt jumping into the tub (most dogs avoid the tub like the plague-even a waterless one in the middle of the living room) so for the time being Kramer is safe within its confines.

Things are moving along...

January 7, 2008
Happy New Year! It has been a couple of weeks since my last entry so I will try to get all of the updates written. The Christmas tub was a big hit over the holidays. I hosted a tea party, to benefit a local animal rescue, with the beautifully decorated Christmas tub center stage. One guest actually asked permission to photograph the notorious Christmas tub. Apparently hubby has been singing the Christmas Tub song at work as his co-worker’s wife told me when we met. She said that her husband has been singing the Christmas Tub song at home. She had wondered what he was singing about and when we met over the holidays and she saw the tub everything clicked.

Kramer continued to have wrestling matches each night with the Poinsettia monster in the Christmas tub which of course provided a great deal of entertainment for us.
As a Christmas gift Darryl gave me a tub basket that holds soaps and shampoos as well as having a mirror, candlestick holder, book holder, and a wine glass holder.
Much to our surprise over the Christmas holidays, while visiting family in Atlanta, we looked through some magazines and decorating books where we were dismayed to discover that we have mistakenly placed the tub in the living room! Apparently, according to the books and magazines, the tub is supposed to be installed in the bathroom! Go figure! Who would have thought? (hubby does not seem to be as amused by this revelation and my constant declaration of it as I am).
One afternoon while in Atlanta we ventured to the historic house where the infamous stained glass came from as well as the columns for the bathroom.

Anyway, while we were in Atlanta for the week of Christmas Gary was hard at work on the bathroom addition! Woohoo!
We returned to find more of the roof constructed.

On Saturday, January 5, Gary and hubby worked all day on the bathroom. With only minor injuries to hubby (he hit his fingers a few times with a hammer and was able to avoid more serious injury by preventing several falls from the roof of the addition by holding on tightly to whatever was closest) they were able to complete the shell of the addition. It is beautiful! The building inspector should be out in the next day or two to inspect and then we can begin putting on shingles, siding, and then install the windows! From this point on most of the work will be done by hubby.

Let the games (and the arguments) begin!

We were quite shocked when we received the compaction test (aka dirt inspector) bill. It was $250! $250 for a guy to come out put a stick in the dirt to tell us that it’s compacted dirt! (I must be in the wrong profession-I know dirt when I see it). For $0 I could have told you that we had compacted dirt! What a racket! And then the building inspector had the nerve to tell us, after the fact, that we really didn’t need the compaction test for such a small project! I believe that this is a conspiracy-they are in cahoots! Oh well, such is life. And so continues the bathtub diaries…

I purchased a crystal candle chandelier for over the tub. I had a smaller one that I was going to use but I realized it was too small and that this one would work better (that seems to happen a lot, in case you haven’t noticed). Ironically, the chandelier came from a friends’ house where it hung over her tub. She decided to sell it in the antiques shop. As she was taking it from her car Lisa (shop owner) said that it would probably work well in my new bathroom to which my friend agreed (do they know me or what?). How funny that everyone thinks about this bathroom!
While in Atlanta I purchased another antique picture frame to use as the medallion for the center light fixture and a small vintage light hanger thingy (don’t know the technical name for it) from which to hang the candle chandelier that I purchased from my friend at the shop.
We also had to pick up the cabinet that I purchased for the bathroom from the antique mall down the road. When I finished paying for it back in October I asked if I could leave it there for a couple of weeks until I had space in the bathroom to put it (how naïve of me to have ever believed that it would be only a couple of weeks for completion). It was necessary for me to move it from that location as two weeks had turned into two months! I asked Lisa if I could store it in our antique shop for the time being since I have no more space at home. Lisa said it would be fine so we are now using it for display at the shop.

Christmas Tub Entertainment

December 17, 2007
Saturday was the big day for Gary to come out and finish up the roof so we could call the building inspector for another inspection. Poor Gary, he keeps trying to get out to finish but that blasted regular job of his keeps interfering. Doesn’t his boss realize that this is all about me? I need a tub to soak in! Since we are all regular, normal (well somewhat normal) people, of course this project is like other normal additions. It’s just going to take a little longer than a couple of weeks to finish the structure. Ok, maybe a little longer than a couple of weeks, more like a couple of months. Ok, well, maybe a little longer than a couple of months…:).

In the meantime the tub is providing a great deal of entertainment in its current location in the middle of the living room floor (as opposed to the ‘soaking’ entertainment it was meant for). As I have mentioned we have decorated it with velvet and filled it with large silk poinsettias. Kramer, our cat, discovered that this makes for a great play area. As he took a flying leap into the forest of poinsettias a great battle began. From our vantage point all we could see were poinsettias flying everywhere. There was rustling and clanging as the poinsettias were eventually brought down by the fearless Kramer! After wrestling the dreaded silk poinsettia giants to the bottom of the tub Kramer then began his stealth look-out for more of the ferocious creatures. All would be quiet and then all of sudden the silence was pierced by rustling within the depths of the tub and then the sight of long white whiskers protruding ever so slightly from within the crumpled branches. Occasionally amongst the red velvety petals a little pink nose and white muzzle could be seen just to disappear quickly again beneath the branches of fallen poinsettias. This battle took place for over an hour. Sometimes Kramer would come leaping from deep within the tub just to land at the other end burrowing down beneath the silk plants. Wanting to catch a glimpse of what was going on beneath this sea of red velvet petals and silky green stalks I peeked through the faucet hole in the tub. What a sight it beheld! A set of little green eyes were gazing right back at me. Kramer had finally seen the monster that he had been searching for! He gazed back at me, very still, waiting for the right moment and then…he leapt into action striking towards me with his paw extended to its entire length through the faucet hole in the tub! Although he was able to push me back I was not so easily driven off so I returned to peer through the hole once again. With great precision and poise he lunged for the hole yet again extending his paw as far as he could in an effort to ward me off. Finally I got the message and backed away and Kramer returned to his hunt for the dreaded poinsettia monster at the bottom of the Christmas tub.

Later this evening we spoke with Gary. He was very apologetic about the delays. I’m not upset, these things happen. I only hope that he is not too upset about it. He is going to try to work on the bathroom sometime next week. With our luck it will rain. Not to worry as we are getting a great deal of entertainment from the tub not to mention we have many Christmas Tub songs to sing!
‘Fa la la la la la la la!’

More Christmas Tub Songs!

December 10, 2007
Breaking Bathtub News!!!
Gary is at the house working on the bathroom!!! WooHoo!!!

Gary completed the roofline over the bay window and it is gorgeous! He will be back out this Saturday to finish up the roof work.

December 14, 2007
Gary is supposed to come out tomorrow to work on the roof. Until then (since I can’t soak in the tub) I have written some more Christmas Tub songs.

Christmas Tub
(to the tune of ‘Jungle Bells’)

Christmas Tub,
Christmas Tub,
Christmas Tub, oh yay!
Oh what fun it would be if I could soak today, hey!
Christmas Tub,
Christmas Tub,
Christmas Tub, oh yay,
Oh what fun it would be if I could soak today!

A month or two ago, I thought I’d have a tub,
To soak in and to love and to bathe the dogs,
But things are not that quick and so I await St. Nick,
Hopefully he’ll come to build and that will do the trick!

Ohhhhh
Christmas Tub,
Christmas Tub,
Christmas Tub, oh yay!
Oh what fun it would be if I could soak today, hey!
Christmas Tub,
Christmas Tub,
Christmas Tub oh yay!
Oh what fun it would be if I could soak today!

The Twelve Days of the Christmas Tub
(to the tune of the Twelve Days of Christmas)

On the first day of the remodel the contractor gave to me,
A promise of a bathroom complete!

On the second day of the remodel the postman brought to me,
Two light fixtures,
And a tub in a crate in the driveway!

On the third day of the remodel the plumber said to me
We’ll get it done,
No stopping to have fun,
So we can get the tub installed in a hurry.

On the fourth day of the remodel the postman brought to me
More light fixtures,
Matching the previous ones,
Lighting the new bathroom,
So that I can soak in the tub happily!

On the fifth day of the remodel my true love gave to me,
A shovel to dig the foundation!!!
Oh what sore muscles,
I had for a week,
And all I really needed,
Was a soak in a bathroom complete!

On the sixth day of the remodel my mother had called me,
From the antique store,
About several architectural pieces!!!
And a stained glass window,
That my grandmother,
Would later go and buy,
Which surprised everyone in the family!

On the seventh day of the remodel the county sent to me,
A building inspector,
To check out all the work,
To make sure that it would not fall down!!!
And so the next step passed,
And on we keep on going,
Awaiting its completion,
So that I can soak in my new bathtub!

On the eighth day of the remodel I am beginning to fear,
That the tub will never ever,
Ever, ever, ever,
Be installed this year,
Which always brings to my eye a tear!!!
As I wait patiently,
To have the tub installed,
In a complete room,
So that I can soak all day happily!

On the ninth day of the remodel it’s getting very hard
To keep a positive attitude,
With a tub in the living room,
Decorated for Christmas,
Instead of filled with water,
Why is this taking so long???
All that I asked for,
Was a claw foot tub,
To soak in for hours,
But now I’m stuck just singing these songs!

On the tenth day of the remodel I still cannot believe,
That it’s been so long,
Since we started on,
This project to install,
An antique claw foot tub,
All so I could soak!!!!!!
I know it’ll get done,
And then I’ll have some fun,
Sitting in my tub,
While I soak all day in lots of bubble bath!

On the eleventh day of the remodel the tile company,
Sent us boxes of tile,
To put down on the floor,
Of the bathroom that should be complete,
But still has a closed door,
Hiding all the stuff,
That by now should have been installed!!!!
The tub has turned into,
A Christmas decoration,
This is really pitiful,
And so I write these Christmas tub songs!

On the twelfth day of the remodel I really hope to see,
The contractor is working,
Towards finishing the project,
So the county can inspect,
For the millionth time,
To determine its sturdiness,
So that we can proceed,
To the next big step!!!
Of cutting a hole in the wall,
Laying down the tiles,
Hanging architecture,
And so finally I can soak in my tub!!!

Tis the Season (the Fa la la song)
Tis the season to be soaking
Fa la la la la la la la la

But instead we all are joking
Fa la la la la la la la la

Oh how I wish they would finish
Fa la la la la la la la la

Hopefully before next Christmas
Fa la la la la la la la la