This week's project: Plumbing!

Oh my, what a week! We've tried to ignore the fact that the bathroom needed to be "redone", but the bathroom had other plans for us this week! As I turned off the cold water in our little 3x3 cubicle shower on Thursday, I heard a pop ... then water was just surging with a mind all of its own out of the hole that used to be the faucet! SO ... off goes the water to the house on Thursday. We went about our work day, then on to Paul's soccer game. Then, arriving home after dark Paul found the energy to figure out how to cap off the shower (after tearing down a wall and various other contortions) so we could have water to the house. So, we had resigned to showering in the guest bathroom (no big deal - same 3x3 cubicle!) and we just figured it was time to leisurely fix the downstairs bathroom. The plan just didn't come together however, as the guest bathroom shower began to leak into the hallway downstairs. SO ... plan B4 ... fix the downstairs situation. (We'll have to approach the upstairs leak later, when our skills improve! Or when we can afford to hire Shane, the real plumber and bee keeper!) With our best plumbing skills in hand (all 2 of the things we know about plumbing: righty tighty, lefty loosey) we set off yesterday to the plumbing shack and got what we deemed necessary. Demolition began and the wall between the shower and the rest of the bathroom came down (exposing 50 of so years worth of wallpapering and etc.). Then the cubicle came out (unfortunately, had to be disassembled and taken out in a collapsed state as it would not fit through the door) ... then the plumbing project began! OH MY! So ... after contemplating and making "the best way to do this" type decisions, we took off and added to, capped off and prayed ... and managed to get the water to go to the claw foot tub in the right places and not to spurt out of the no longer needed parts of the water source ... and it was also no longer pouring into the basement! So by 8:30, Paul was taking his first bath in our claw foot tub and enjoying the luxury of a bath, as we've only been able to stand up and shower since we moved in last October!!! Now, we have a heck of a menagery to work around ... wallpaper from the 50's for sure (with ships on it) ... and wallpaper from the 70's with stripes. Partial paneling, exposed subflooring, rotten subflooring and all sorts of things! It might be make shift for now, but we have a terrific tub and shower now! We've hung a lovely black plastic shower ring above the tub for a shower curtain, and have all the luxury of being able to move in the shower instead of trying to figure out how to raise our arms above our heads in that little cubicle. It's a great day in the neighborhood!! And now, the clean up begins. Please keep good thoughts of us as we really need some moral support about now! But I'm so very happy to report that in spite of the "funky" decor in there, we are very lucky to have worked it out! The vision here is: the part of the wall behind the tub that is jutting out is another chimney. It begins in the basement and goes straight up through both bathrooms and stops in the attic. It doesn't seem to have a mission, it just is there! So, we will expose the chimney and have the brick showing as opposed to the lovely wall paper and paneling that you see here now. The tub will be on a platform and will be on a diagonal. The flooring will all be replaced after the construction (or before if I can't stand it for that long!) We will put vanity or antique dressers in the part opposite the tub (which is now filled with dressers and chests) and we have yet to decide what we'll do with the walls. Under the paneling and wall paper they are lathe and plaster. We'll think on that for a while! Plenty of time to decide, as we really need to get the floors finished before we launch into all the "redo" on the bathroom(s)!!!!

Stay tuned for the next and continuing adventures ... one of which should happen whilst Paul is in the "Indiana Jones" room this afternoon! I, unfortunately, will be at Lowes ... no doubt helping people who are doing things like I'd love to do! Happy Sunday to all! And more importantly, happy Autumnal Equinox, as today marks the official beginning of autumn. May all of your fall wishes come true! Paul & Cheri

Fall is on its way!

Fall is really in the air here! You can see a little of the color change in the trees ... and the wind is blowing enough to dump zillions of leaves in to the yard! So, we'll be raking before too long, and doing all the things that belong to fall! We counted our sunflowers the other day ... there are 88 of them! And the birds planted some broom corn in the front flower bed that will be perfect for the Halloween decorations!! I'm glad they have a better handle on when to plant than we do! We have half a dozen or so pumpkins coming up in the pumpkin patch, but since we woke up with temps in the high 40's, I'm not sure if they'll get to finish before the frost hits. We'll see!!! This weather is quite amazing to watch and be a part of! Summer seemed very short! Yesterday it was so foggy you couldn't see your hand in front of your face until about noon, then it cleared up enough that everyone in the mountains thought it would be fun to go to Lowes and buy stuff for their projects! I hope they all stay home today and finish what they started! I'm pooped! HA! I'm also hoping Paul will be able to put the plastic in the crawl space today so we can begin our insulating and onward ho with our heat efficiency projects! We'll see, huh? He's still sleeping at this point!

Soccer season began last Tuesday so Paul's started refereeing and came home all smiles and full of stories, so I think he's having a grand time. Dance has started back and I'm feeling good to move around again and get some stretching and exercising in. Hopefully all this will help us both with the beginnings of our "Buddha bellies"! I wasn't planning on having one!

The kitties are running around like crazy this morning because the temps have dropped. I guess they're trying to get their blood pumping so they'll be warm. They are lucky with those built in fur coats. I'm going to have to resort to the electric blanket pretty soon, I'm thinking!

The mosaics are finally getting made, albeit at a very slow pace, and I'm looking forward to the show in October. We'll see how it goes!

Happy Birthday to sister in law Debbie today! Hope it's a lovely day!

Well, as you can tell, we're all well and continue to do much of the same as far as our adventure with life in the mountains goes!! Must get ready for work now. Keep in touch and take good care! Paul & Cheri

Current Projects and such ...

Well, as I'm sure you expected, things are not standing still here at the Glovers! We have so many things going on, it's getting a wee bit confusing to those of us who are trying to keep up with it all! Most of the confusion started when I began working the 3 jobs. It's a lot harder to get all the household things done when I'm not here! But so be it, the race is on!

I'm still working on this blinking mosaic. It's been a work in progress for a long time. Still in that category, but it is supposed to be my "Mountain Mosaics and More" sign (so to speak) ... there have been problems with the adhesive not sticking and when I grout it, the tiles are coming off ... so needless to say, I'm still trying to get it around to my way of thinking! Now I know I'm stubborn and persuasive and all that, but I must say ... this piece of stone is absolutely not giving in! Must be a lesson in here some place ... Anyway, there are numerous projects in the works on the mosaic table because the art festival is October 21st ... not too much more time to get some display items finished. Paul is going to put in some ornamental iron pieces and I'm hoping we'll make an impression (good one) on the community and get some work going on!

Paul decided to begin a flower box on the side of the house that gets the morning sun. I'm hoping the project gets finished before it snows ... we'll see ;-). He's spending a LOT of time playing softball. They're in the tournament phase now. He pitched a 4 inning win Monday night. I was so proud of him! Their team only had 8 players ......... so to win with a slaughter in the A Division was fun for him. Soccer season begins next week (I think) and he's going to be busy with that as we all knew he would. As long as we keep active, maybe we won't fall apart! HAHA! That's my story for having to teach hip hop and I'm sticking to it!

The garden is having a really good time growing out there. I think we're very lucky with the way the sun hits it, and the fact that mother nature seems to be our friend. Pictured here are:

yellow squash, corn, sugar snaps and our Halloween pumpkin!!!! Mold has started getting into things because of the soggy couple of weeks we had, so we're fighting against that a little bit. But we've had such a good time with it all that I really think it would be hard to ruin our fun.

The row of sunflowers was planted in honor of my momma. She loved them dearly and there is a family joke about her impatience in awaiting their blooming. I know she has had a hand in their growing this year. The top picture is definitely momma - standing tall with eyes wide open, smiling and shining. Thanks, mom!

On a larger scale, the leaves are really beginning to change and fall is in the air here. We're having 50 degree evenings and 80 degree days. It's GORGEOUS golfing weather, and just plain gorgeous all around. Today the sky was so blue it looked like a painting. It's just beautiful.

I'm missing a lot of the enjoyment of the outdoors because I've begun working so many hours. But the dance season has started back up, and it feels GREAT to move again. I must admit, I've missed the children and the exercise. So ... I can just enjoy life from indoors as usual! I'm working 30 hours/week (at least) at Lowes and am now in the windows and walls department (which means window treatment and wall coverings). I'm extremely busy from arrival until departure and it makes the time just fly by. I might not ever get used to some of the customers and their lack of manners, but I do so enjoy most of the time. I am also still helping the real estate office with getting their new website together ... which might be a project similar in time frame to this house! Lordy!

Paul and I have determined that we must put plastic covering in the crawl space under the house before we finish the floors. And we have to finish the floors this month due to the weather. So we will be busy, and somehow we will get this stuff into our schedules! Please keep good thoughts for us as we tackle yet another phase of the floors!!!! If you have any tips for us, (aside from hiring someone to do it) please don't be shy about telling us! We can use all the help we can get ... advice or physical labor!!!!

I think I need to send out happy birthday wishes to Hayden, Paul's nephew. I'm not sure if I have the right day on the calendar, but I think it was the 3rd. So Happy Birthday, Hayden.

Also, I had Mandy Taylor and Mandy Tweedle's birthday mixed up. So I wished Mandy Taylor a happy birthday in July, and it should've been Mandy Tweedle .... and now it's Mandy Taylor's turn. So, Happy Birthday ALL YOU Mandys!!!!!!

Well, I'll conclude this installment of the adventures of Paul & Cheri. We think about all of you out there more than you know. We frequently wonder to each other about what might be happening in your lives. So if you're so inclined, please write! We'd love to hear from you! And to all you Thursday noon tappers, I miss you gobs and bunches! And I hope I'm not late in wishing all the Dancer's Pointe dancers good luck with company auditions!

Happy Trails to all!

Paul & Cheri