Bathroom Remodel: Worth Every Penny

Our house was built in 1997 as some of the new construction following the 1991 Andover tornado.

There are many things we love about our house. However, we have always hated our bathroom. It's huge, but the space wasn't used in an effecient way and it was extremely dated.

Admittedly, the large bathtub was handy when the girls were little. I'd put Ruby in there (without any water and before she could walk) as a way to keep her contained while I took a shower. Now that they're bigger, the tub was hardly used and Aleks and I just got fed up with the tiny, oddly shaped shower.

So, we decided to finally bite the bullet and remodel the space into something we love. Aleks did all the work securing the loan and the contractor and I took the lead in designing and communciating with the workers.

Here's our bathroom before:

And here it is, one month and a week later. (Totally worth the wait.)

In place of the tub, I had a makeup counter installed, which takes advantage of the natural light coming in. Now, I just have to learn how to do my makeup!

The shower material is Onyx, a man made product. What I like about this product is that there are no grout lines to clean. I adore subway tile, but to use all tile would have put our house out of the price range for our neighborhood. While we did this remodel for ourselves and not necessarily resale value, I wanted to be somewhat responsible.

And a bench in a shower is just the best.

Our fixtures are all brushed nickel, but the light fixtures have some brass and when I saw these mirrors I thought the brass frame would help soften all the gray. I have no idea if I'm "allowed" to mix metals, but I like the way it turned out.

Aleks was really wonderful about trusting my taste and vision. He admittedly had some reservations about round mirrors and a few other things, but is thrilled with how it all turned out.

The makeup counter and vanity were both custom built, so I asked for a laundry basket drawer. It's one of my favorite things about the bathroom.

I didn't want a huge makeup counter, so there wasn't room left for drawers.

We ended up designing the vanity so that drawers pulled out from the side and are easily accesible while I'm sitting at the makeup counter.

The graphic back splash really warms up the room and adds interest.

Our contractor suggested a darker grout to match the tile. I insisted on a lighter shade and I'm really glad I did.

The stained wood shelves are another favorite of mine. They match the makeup counter top and light fixtures.

We are so glad we decided to do this. Our conractor was wonderful. He was a great communicator, worked clean, and tried to save us money whenever he could. Let me know if you'd like his contact info!

My crazy family

It was one of those weekends, in which I had to work Saturday (not typical) and Sunday (typical). Thankfully our family was able to connect at dinner Saturday night and I caught up on the events of the day.

There are so very many reasons why I love my husband. One of them is that he likes to grocery shop and assumes that responsibility most Saturdays. We usually sit down on Friday night or early Saturday morning, plan the menu for the week, and create our shopping list. We've been doing this for 8 years and it has saved us so much time and money. In an attempt to be the most efficient with our budget, he ends up going to 3 different grocery stores. Aleks has the routine down to a science and it usually takes about 2 hours to get it all done. Without kids, that is.

This weekend, Aleks had to take the girls with him, which everyone dreads. To give them an incentive, he usually promises them a Costco treat if they are helpful. And sometimes, it means making things interesting during travel time.

Ruby started the story.

In the car between grocery stores, Aleks told them they could cuss, just this once, and he wouldn't get mad.

Ruby's eyes lit up as she remembered the event: "Do you know what he said?! The F-U word!"

Then Aleks chimes in "so, Ruby, what did you say?"

"The F-U word" she says with a little grin on her face.

But apparently, they couldn't pressure Maia into cussing. She just wouldn't do it.

And at that moment, as we're finishing out last bites of chicken, she points an accusing finger around the table and says "YEAH, because I'm the only Christian here!"

Aleks and I just about died from laughter. I love being a part of this family.

Today Maia and I talked some more about that whole event. I didn't talk with her about the fact that "sin is sin" and cussing once in awhile is just as bad as not always demonstrating loving behavior towards her sister and maybe I should have gone there, but instead I chose to focus on the fact that I love her strong morals and that she needs to be careful that she doesn't judge other people who are different.

"Ruby and I aren't different," she told me, "I just have very strong opinions about saying bad words."

And those strong opinions are one of the very things I love most about her.

You might think her strong convictions and inclinations toward faith come from living in such a conservative, evangelical part of the country. However, Aleks and I certainly don't reinforce those cultural influences and the church we attend is one of the rare non-judge-y communities in this area. Instead, it's just who she is. I suppose it's built into her DNA. (And maybe, just maybe her mom might have been like that when she was younger. Maybe.)

Monday is my day off. It's a day for me to catch up on housework and paperwork and loose ends at work. It's a day that I don't have to put on makeup. The girls don't have school today, so we're using it as a time for us to reconnect as well. Lots of Lego playing and a trip to the trampoline park while I try to catch up best I can. Maybe we'll watch some Olympics later.

These days I'm particularly aware of how grown my children have become and how different our lives look compared to our first years here in Wichita. The wind still keeps us up at night and we still can't grocery shop at Trader Joe's, but things are comfortable and easy here in the middle.

Annual family pictures

Each October, as I run around in a panic to get my kids Halloween costumes and make spooky themed snacks for their school, I remember that Christmas is right around the corner and we need to get new family pictures taken.

For the past three years we've asked our friend Laurie to take the photos for us and each year I'm so so happy with what she is able to capture.

Here are some of the pictures that didn't make our holiday card.

When I asked Ruby how she got to be so good at posing she said, "ballet."

I'd like to point out that up to this point she has taken 5 days of ballet lessons. Can you imagine what proper weekly lessons would do?

Maia is just as adorable, but more reserved now that she's a big first grader. It's crazy to see how much her face is changing with those grownup teeth coming in.

Andover and Wichita are paving an old railway trail that runs east and west for about ten miles or so. It's a great place for pictures, but in my opinion, is also greatly improving the quality of life here. We have desperately needed more outdoor walking paths in this city.

Aleks handles all the women in his life so well.

Shortly after this Ruby started crying because Maia was squeezing her hand too hard. Big sisters are the worst (writes a big sister).

Happy Fall y'all!

Snapshots

I'm finding myself sitting with Aleks watching the Democratic debates and while I care very much about the world I live in, I'm not as passionate about politics as my husband. So, I think I'll use this time to catch up on the blog and share a few recent moments from our lives.

1. The girls had dentist appointments two weeks ago and Maia ended up with a hygienist who probably hates children. She scrapped the tartar off of Maia's teeth without much concern for the ongoing whimpering. She also didn't seem to care that Maia was gagging because she didn't like the taste of the toothpaste. The only thing that would calm her was Ruby's hand.

During that trip, I managed to bang my thigh on the corner of the hygienists desk because I was embarrassingly sore from working about a few days earlier. wearing heels, and hadn't had my usual amount of coffee. It's been ten days and the bruise has now faded to green and yellow, but there is still a rather hard lump beneath the skin.

At least the girls have sparking, clean teeth and no cavities!

2. My mom was here to watch the girls while Aleks and I went to Maryland for the Ironman. Womp womp. We didn't go. So instead we went to the zoo and enjoyed a beautiful day outside.

3. This past weekend we participated in Wichita's Buddy Walk to honor our friend Blake. We love this family and are so glad they moved to Wichita!

4. Tonight is the last night of our Fall Break. While it was short, it was surprisingly refreshing. Aleks and I went out 2 nights in a row (!), I took several naps, and Ruby got to watch Spooky Buddies. It was just what we needed to get through the rest of the semester.

5. Maia has continued to take piano lessons this year in a more formalized manner. It's an ongoing exercise in focus and discipline for her, but she's really starting to make progress. She joined me on Sunday for a prelude piece.

The girls are growing in leaps and bounds. Already the toddlers years are a distant memory and I'm amazed to find myself with school age children. Ruby is continuing to express her opinions, but in a way that makes you want to be around her. She still gives the best hugs of anyone in the family. Maia is as talkative and excitable as ever, while make gradual steps toward maturity. She is motivated by success and likes to do well in school. I love to watch my daughter's friendship develop. My heart soars when I see the two of the whispering together.

Aleks' life has slowed down a bit since training for the Ironman has ceased. He's still busy with work, but he loves it and is good at what he does.

After a rough start to the semester, I'm beginning to find contentment and a better balance of the many roles I play. My outlook has considerably changed now that I'm able to more regularly workout.

Fall always reminds me of places we've lived, like Connecticut and it's outrageous foliage or Washington and the delicious apple varieties locally available. October in Wichita is funny. Some days are crisp, but every now and then we'll have a day where we are back in t-shirts and flip flops. Soon we'll be able to pull out our sweatshirts and the hot humid summer evenings will be a memory.

Holes, storms, and summer bucket lists

This week, tragedy struck our home.

This precious girl and her sister had some bandaids on various "injuries" and wore her bandaid to bed at naptime.

When it was time to go to sleep that night Ruby broke into panicked sobs.

She had discovered that her bandaid was stuck to the underside of her blanket.

I proceeded to rip it off and in the process left half of it attached.

That sucker was stuck.

Ruby was inconsolable so I got out my scissors.

And proceeded to remove the bandaid and part of the blanket.

To my relief, Ruby didn't notice the new ventilation in her blanket, so I tucked her in and left the room with my fingers crossed.

30 seconds later I heard heart-wrenching sobs coming from the very soul of my littlest girl.

I went back into Ruby's room to find her huddled over the hole in her blanket, huge crocodile tears streaming down her cheeks.

I took her into the rocking chair and calmed her best I could. After several different suggestions, she popped her head off my chest and said, "I lay on top."

Seconds later, she was up again "But my feet get cold, I lay under blanket."

And then "I not cry."

  

I flipped the blanket around so it's not as noticeable and thankfully she hasn't seemed to mind too much.

I don't know how I ended up with two children who care so much about the particulars of life!

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Today we had some excitement on the weather front.

The girls and I went to the zoo this afternoon while Aleks was training about 30 minutes away. The second we walked through the gate, tornado sirens started wailing.

I wasn't sure whether to find shelter at the zoo or head home.

I ran my disappointed kids to the car and sped home.

We were about 20 minutes ahead of the storm and managed to make it into the garage before anything really began.

We went immediately to the basement and turned on the news.

At the worst point we headed into the bathroom.

Maia had brought all her stuffed animals in with us.

Except for teddy. Her favorite.

She started crying really hard that she needed him.

I agreed to run upstairs and grab him, if they promised to stay in the basement.

I opened the basement door, saw hail hammering the windows and that the sky was green.

I immediately went back downstairs.

Maia was not pleased.

Ruby was more concerned about Maia than the storm.

The girls cuddled together on Baia (the bunny).

Thankfully Aleks was able to find shelter in the midst of training and made it home to us, safe and sound.

I'll take earthquakes over tornados any day.

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In other news, my duties at WSU for the semester are officially over and we're getting geared up for summer.

I've seen other people create summer bucket lists and decided to do one for my family this year.

Here's what we came up with:

Some are very ambitious, so we shall see how many things get checked off.

What's on your summer bucket list?

You know it's summer when...

The other night Aleks and I were watching some of the Olympic trials.

One young woman, who just turned 17, qualified for the first time.

As the heat ended, the cameras cut to her family and showed their reactions in the final moments of the race.

The dad was jumping up and down and the mom was standing with her hand covering her mouth, hardly moving. As their daughter finished and it became apparent she would be a part of the US Olympic team, the mom looked stunned while the dad looked like he wanted to jump out of his skin, he was so excited.

I looked at Aleks and said, "No way. There is absolutely no way I could handle it if our girls ever go to the Olympics. I mean, it's just too much."

Aleks started laughing, "Are you kidding me?! Have you met our girls? They're not going to the Olympics. Unless there's a 'jumping on stuff' category."

He has a point. Our girls are really good at climbing on top of every piece of furniture in the house. 

Oh! And they're really good at jumping onto stuff too.

It's been sweltering here. We've had triple digits all week. Thursday was 106 and Friday was 102. Interestingly, Friday seemed exponentially more bearable, even though it was only 4 degrees cooler. A friend of mine said it was because there was less humidity.

At any rate, we've been spending some time at our YMCA. 

The outdoor water park is wonderful.

I can't wait until our girls can be on our own at the pool. Right now, it's a bit like an intense survival game. Keeping the girls from getting knocked down by older boys who run past, making sure Ruby's always holding a hand as we walk through waist high water, catching them at the other end of the slide so they don't drown...

at least it's cool!

Hump Day

Is it only Wednesday?

I feel like things are a spinning out of control and it's all I can to do keep my head on straight.

I'm under the illusion that things might get better by the weekend, but in reality, I think it's just going to be a rough semester.

1. Our sitter backed out on us last minute and so we've been scrambling to try and find someone new. Without any family near, we don't have a cushion for times like this. We're making it work, but I'm starting to forget what Aleks looks like; we're always passing each other as one of us heads out the door.

2. Suddenly I'm on the board for 2 different organizations and trying to start a new music ensemble for Kansas composers and musicians. All of which I am very passionate and excited about. All of which I have no time for.

3. Aleks and I are trying to be healthy and exercise on a regular basis. He's been getting up at 5:00 a.m. on the weekdays to head to the gym. I've been going when Aleks gets home from work, before dinner. Since it was beautiful today, I thought I'd put the girls in the double stroller, strap on my new Garmin watch, and go for a run so that Aleks and I could eat earlier and spend more time together tonight.

I'm never doing that again. A) Running with the double BOB sucks B) the girls get too bored. It was a disaster.

4. The other moms at Maia's dance class and the girls' story times are super sweet, and all of a sudden it seems that every one of them lives in my neighborhood. Potentially awesome. I just don't have time to get to know them!

So, to cope, I'm making these tonight. Perhaps not the most responsible thing to do, but maybe I'll take them to my new neighbor friends tomorrow.

And while Aleks and I are busy handing off the kids and taking them to work with us, they are pretty wonderful.

And the weather has been beautiful. I feel like it's spring. And the other day the sky looked like this as I was leaving work.

And my aunt sent me these old school pictures of my dad, which makes me really happy.

And even though finding the time to work out is hard, this weekend I ran 5 miles. In a row. Without stopping. 

I was pretty excited.

I know things will settle down soon enough.

My fingers are crossed that I make it until then!

Guest Bedroom

As time and budget allow, I've been working to make this house our home.

Most recently I decided to tackle the guest bedroom.

Here's what it looked like before.

As you can see, there isn't a lot of natural light in this room, so the pictures aren't spectacular.

The green doesn't help much either.

I chose to paint the room "copper penny."

In real life it looks more tan than pink.

I needed something to hang on the wall and didn't want to spend $100+ for artwork that is just so-so.

I found a frame at goodwill and spray-painted it black.

(Spray-painting is not for weenies. I realized that I'm not a huge fan. Give me a brush over a can any day.)

I bought hanging wall vases and placed them inside the frame. Now when we have guests, they'll have fresh flowers to look at.

Aleks hates the asymmetry, but hey, he doesn't have to sleep down there!

It still feels a little bare and I need to rip out some shelving in the closet and hang a mirror, but it's ready for visitors!

So, come visit! Yes, you!