I didn't blog at all last week. Sorry for disappearing, but sometimes you just need to leave the computer off and get to work. Know what I mean? It's like this quote:
After vacation and then being sick for way too long, we had some serious ground to make up. Long hours were put in last week and I do have some progress to report.
Above: Texturing the ceiling and then priming and painting (in the dark). Done! After that we were able to install all the ceiling can lights so we don't have to work in the dark. Then painting the walls. We still have one more coat to put on the walls, but we'll wait until after the flooring mess is complete.
Above right: Dust coats every surface in the house. I can't keep on top of it so I quit trying for now.
An unexpected delay—our existing subfloor was particle board, which is not an ideal substrate for tiling. It has a tendency to swell when wet and can cause your tiles to crack. We decided $400+ in plywood would be a cheap investment in the long run to protect the 900 square feet of tile we were laying. So up came all the existing subfloor and down went brand new plywood. (A dusty job.)
Next a layer of cement board goes down with thinset and nails. The nailing kicked up even more dust.
Next the tile was brought in from the garage to warm up. Even though not every inch of plywood and cement board has been laid (we still have to do the laundry room), we are trying to move forward in the kitchen area so we can begin installing base cabinets and then get countertops templated. While we wait for the granite to be cut and installed, we can continue to work on the rest of the floor. As of this morning, about a 3rd of the tile has been laid in the kitchen/dining room. Progress!
Although I was recruited for painting and a few odd jobs here and there, mostly my job is feeding the crew and keeping the kids out of the mess. Am I ever thankful for our finished basement to hang out in right now.
Eva is a busy girl and loves to be in the middle of everything going on. Although I probably won't dedicate a whole post to it, Eva did pass the 20 month mark in February. Her biggest milestones are talking—she has a broad vocabulary now and communication is getting easier. This is absolutely my favorite age. She is also getting molars on both sides, top and bottom, so teething symptoms are rampant. Overall she is such an easy, mellow kid and such a joy to us. Loving her to pieces.
Did I mention we had company for several days last week too? Some great friends from San Diego made a visit and we couldn't turn them away. We issued a warning before they came, of course, and really appreciated their patience with our chaos and dust.
Their little Emma Grace and our Eva Grace are less than a month apart in age. They had the ultimate play date and we had a blast watching them interact. Poor little Emma got sick on their last day here. Boo :( Hopefully it didn't come from lingering sick germs around our house. Consider this a warning—it might be best to avoid our house until the dust and germs dissipate!