Intentional Stones

One functioning piece

After leaving town again Friday and returning without kids, (Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa), we homeowners came back to Do Stuff! In fact, out combined to do list is terrifyingly large.

Today was spent shopping. I very much got tired of shopping. This usually doesn't happen when I've got a big project in mind.
To save a little money, Adam's doing the electrical work. He's feeling pretty good. The stove is complete, and the fridge could go back.

If...
It fit.
We think the Guys will have to redo a bulkhead they put in for the cabinet. It's not high enough. Measure twice fail. We need to confirm with a ruler, we'll do that later.

Next Adam's Running new electricity for the dishwasher, disposal, and my Coffee Shrine. I'm impressed.

Out annual week without kids is going to involve non-stop projects, work and cleaning. I'd regret the lost chance to travel to places the kids aren't old enough to enjoy, but it feels so good to be working together and getting stuff done.

-Simbelmynë

The kerfluffel

Well, last week ended in a big fuss with the discovery of some asbestos tiles in the floor. With that thought we called the main contractor, who reassured us that the stuff in the walls is some sort if plaster over lathe, not asbestos. So the only thing to worry about were some floor tiles. These turn out to not be a source of contamination unless they're damaged.

Fortunately, they are tough and only one is exposed this week while my sister is visiting. Turns out these tiles are pretty standard in a house 75-100 years old, they usually can be removed intact, and clearing out for a day should be enough. When they do the floor, not right now.

We hung plastic anyway, since the exposed plaster is very dusty. Everything is thoroughly covered. We can exist.

The contractors are returning on The 23rd to remove the wall!

I'll miss having a bathroom on the first floor. I won't miss my dishwasher in the middle of the floor. (yes, the bathroom is _that_ small)

My Uncle's funeral went well. I got to spend some good quality time with my Aunt and some cousins I rarely see. My family is so small. The contrast with my family-in-law is pretty extreme.

~Simbelmynë

Kitchen surprises (nightmares?)

There's my poor gutted kitchen. The appliances are staying in place while the cabinets are refinished and we have guests in and out.

At least that was the plan until this morning. Adam walked in and has a thought. "I wonder if that grey stuff is asbestos?"

Ummm....

A bunch of Internet searching left us just as concerned and uninformed. Could it be some kind of wood that's grey from being exposed to plaster? But Adam had been curious about the wood floor the workers found under a couple layers of linoleum, so a hardwood expert swung by to give us an estimate on the possibility if refinishing that and took one look at the mystery material. "Did you know that there's asbestos in your walls?"

I ran out for staplegun supplies, thick plastic sheeting and respirators so nobody has to breathe the stuff.

I think we'll be staying out of the kitchen entirely until it's all encapsulated.

Old houses are full of joy! (please excuse my sarcasm)

-Simbelmynë

Another remodel, oh joy

I've been a bit tied up.

Our kitchen has long been a big time eyesore. I'm not a fan of wallpaper and mustard appliances. Nevermind the tiny fridge and the mobile dishwasher taking up a big piece of the tiny floor and getting in the way. The fronts of drawers are falling off, and the hidden table (which we can't spread out because if the dishwasher) is horribly scuffed.

Tomorrow, they start to fix this problem. The picture is my poor dining room, which will serve as our kitchen for the immediate future.

On a slightly coincidental note, my Uncle, my father's brother, passed away last weekend. We almost had to reschedule the kitchen. We're working with the same contractors for the bathroom project, and that started just before my dad died. It's a tiny bit odd.

Anyway, I plan to blog things happening in the kitchen in the next week. It won't be quite as exciting as the labyrinth. But we're removing the tiny powder room and creating a half wall and passthrough, completely opening up the kitchen.

I'm a happy camper.

-Simbelmynë

Art Nouveau Too

(Photo of the famous staircase by Victor Horta in Brussels)

But they got to me very early in the form of illustrations-

Arthur Rackham

Aubrey Beardsley

Kay Neilsen

The forms of nature in curve and geometry used to accentuate the beauty of the human form.  The amazing motion and color they used.  The richness of their images.  I love it all.

In these past quiet couple of weeks, I've even been playing with these lines in my own design

I love that I'm reaching the point in learning technique that I can begin to explore the themes of Art Nouveau in my jewelry. I can't wait to make more!

-Simbelmynë

The Thing the Kids will Remember

Ok, my family trusts me a lot to make them a nice home.  And sometimes they want to go out on a limb too.

The kids had been taking turns sharing the one twin bed or sleeping on the floor in a pile of blankets and sleeping bag.  And we went out to the reclamation shop at the tip to further explore the furniture possibilities. 

While I was distracted, thinking about bins and tables for homeschooling supplies, Adam and the kids looked for bunk beds. 

Or so I thought.

I'd sort of given up, all the bins they had were in use and I'd found a little plastic out door table, so I head back to the front of this huge parking lot full of trash and treasure.  And there are my family, they've pulled the car into the narrow driving spaces between things, and they're tying large bits of furniture to the car.  The right number of pieces for a bunk, but they don't look quite right...

And then he tells me.  He's already ordered the hammocks and hardware.  He's just been waiting for approval from the landlord, which did not come.  So these are to be a frame to hang them from.

I am having no part in this.  And I'm praying that the health insurance does not count recklessness as a pre-existing condition that's not covered. 

(Maybe my trust's not so good, I blame the Mommy Hormones that hate anything that looks very risky)

Fortunately, the Mommy Hormones are just like one of those little angels or demons that sit on your shoulder.    And as the kids get more self sufficient, her screaming gets less loud and insistent.  So I ignored her.

And look what they made!



Yes, those are bed frames.  Yes, those beams in between are too thin.  Yes, Adam further reinforced them because they could easily be knocked out.

But I've never seen a more fun bed for kids.

Adventure Dad 1 Mommy Hormones 0

-Simbelmyne

Just a picture

Words really haven't been with me.

I just wanted proof that we made the tiniest bit of progress. The strange angle shows the drain pipe where it goes through the marble inlay top of the table. While all the uninteresting fittings for the water and drain are being collected. I need to make a decision as to what color to paint the walls.

Here's a quick review of the colors we have already:

The trim will remain white.
My first inclination is a shade similar to the light blue already present, possibly to match the lightest blue of the tile.

Discuss!

The approval for our trip to Australia came through an hour ago. I'm in a tizzy!

That Darn Bathroom!

Well, it's been hanging for long enough. We're taking it into our own hands tonight. When we go to Australia we must leave the house in good working order. So tonight, my loving spouse and fellow homeowner, is digging out a drill and putting two holes in the marble top table. Today I'm picking up some heavy duty polyeurathane, sandpaper and maybe I'll figure out the perfect drain trap. Once this is done, we paint! Oh no! That means thinking about color again! I'd better pick up color swatches at Home Improvement Central. -Simbelmyne

The Tile! The Tile!

Oh wow.

There are a couple of tiny spots that need a little more grout.  but we can use the shower tomorrow, once the grout's had enough time to really dry!!!!!

Truth:  Grout when it first goes on is not the color it is when it dries.
Truth:  There is nothing scarier than watching somebody smear ugly-mud colored stuff onto the prefect shiny glass tile you've been slaving over and dreaming about for months.

I love the color now that it's dry.

The sink is still up in the air, so pictures of the entire bathroom will have to wait. 

We're thinking about what to do with the door, since it has to be closed to get a really good look at the tub wall.  Could we create a pocket door?   Maybe use a curtain?  Or a folding panel type thing you usually use for a closet? 

-Simbelmyne

Vanity outside the box

Finally, after visiting store after store and looking at every darned thing on the internet, I dragged the kids over to Big Lots to blow off some steam and Maybe, just maybe see if they had anything attractive that we could drill holes in and use to support the sink.  And look what was sitting in the middle of the furniture section!  (the sink arrived last week from a vendor through Amazon)

With all these amazing turns of chance, the whole deal has cost only a little bit more than a plain old pedestal sink that would match the new toilet.  And, since it was extremely economical, I don't feel bad at all that I'm planning to mess with the table a bit to make it work better.

First, the height.  The table is 25 inches tall, and with the 6 or 7 inches of sink the rim of the sink is still a little bit low.  I mean if it was only Me and the Kids, it would be fine....

But we have taller things to consider.

So, I figure we can find a way to add 2 or 3 inches.  First, I'd rather not have the sink sitting directly on a table with a wooden surface, even if only in part.  The center panel is made of thin marble, laminated onto some cement board?  So I'd rather not soak that either.  So, we'll get a glass top and we're going to find some supports, perhaps an extra of the silver ring supporting the sink in these photos and four more that look similar to support the glass at the corners.  This will give us an inch or more in height.  Then I'd like to find some feet to lift the table up more.  Maybe even three inches, I've seen some that might do the job, tonight, when I'm tiled out, I'll do more exhaustive internet searching.

The next thing is to decide what to do with the center panel of the table.  Should we leave the pretty, marble in?  Or should we take the huge amount of extra glass tile I'll have when I'm done with the stripes and make a smaller mosaic for under the sink, which will be completely visible under all the glass?  (I'm liking this idea more and more)

Any opinions?  (here's a quick link to the photo of the labyrinth for reference)

Oh, yes, and we still have to decide where to put the faucet.  As it is in the photos it will make me, the Lefty, happy, but the other 90% of the population (including the rest of my family) would prefer the other side.  And we can't center the bowl if the faucet is behind it.  Bummer.

-Simbelmyne