Kitchen counters done...shower next

Before

We replaced our kitchen counter tops. The old darker ones had water damage and were starting to crumble underneath in some areas.

We decided we would go ahead and pay to have them all replaced and sealed up properly. 

It's always nice to have new stuff done and this certainly cleaned up the kitchen. I had to empty all the cabinets and was able to wipe down and reorganize everything inside. 

I think the lighter color is more contemporary and I'm liking it. 

After

Next project is our downstairs bathroom conversion from tub to shower. They are supposed to start demo on Monday. I suspect the house will be in total disarray the entire week. They will take out all the existing tiles down to the wood, haul off the tub, and upgrade the toilet. At least we have another bathroom upstairs.

I've no doubt it will be great once it's finished but we need to survive next week while all the work is going on.

TT

Update

So here I am. I hit 50. 

TT

Not 100%

I won't make the 60 miles in May. I took too many days off during the middle of the month. You can't add to the ticker if you don't get off your duff. I'm still going to make 50 miles since I have three days left. I'm not thinking it's a complete loss and hey, what is it they say? What doesn't kill you...no, no! Not that one. I don't much care for that one. I mean, I don't think I want to be that strong if I have to risk death to get there.

I was thinking more along the lines of goals. Set a goal and something or other if you don't reach them. There must be some cute saying about setting your goals high and something if you don't reach them to try harder? Don't sit around on your backside all the middle of the month and think you can pull it out of thin air by the deadline. What the heck did you set a goal for if you weren't planning on doing anything about it? I've got nothing. Except I got 50 miles last month and I will have 50 again this month. Should I have done the 60? Yes. Yes. 

I guess if I hadn't set the goal at all, I would have lazed around the rest of the month instead of just the middle. Ah...here's something...

You will fail at a 100% of the goals you don't set.  Mark Victor Hansen

I'm terrible at math, but even I know I didn't fail 100%.

TT

Not yet

I'm still stuck at 25 miles this month. There seems to be an epidemic of reasons that keep me from running. I could say there has been a lot going on and guess what? It would be true. The main problem is that none of the things that have been happening have been promoting anything that has to do with getting in a few miles each day. In fact, you could say the things that have been happening have been a major deterrent to getting the miles run.

I'm not giving up and I'm not settling. There is a time when I have to get these other things done the same way I would like to get running done. It will all work itself out. Or maybe I should say, I will work-out myself, at some point.
TT

No babies allowed

Yeah. I know. I get it.
I've been a slacker.
I've been snaking around like I've forgotten all about moving myself.
I've left the running shoes cooling in the closet.
I have excuses up the wazoo on why I didn't.

So, I've been trying to do a little catch up. I'm not where I should be at this point in time.
But there is no use crying like a baby. The past three days I've been getting those shoes a little dirtier. I even went out to the gym this morning since the thunderstorms weren't going to let me run outdoors.

So this is still do-able. I hear 'ya.
TT

Middle, end

I think I'm becoming aware that we are close to the middle of the month already. I'm not sure that is supposed to make any difference in the scheme of things. It shouldn't make any difference in any negative connotation but I can't help but think, 'oh my, already', as if it sped along when it didn't.

It does mean it is closer to the two days I will take off from work after the Memorial Day holiday. Let's stretch that three day weekend into a five day holiday. I'm already looking forward to that as if I had any plans except to hang around the house and do whatever I want. It's that whole stay-cation idea. I certainly have enough to keep me busy right here at home and look forward to that. But then that would mean it's closer to the end of the month. I wonder if that should make any difference.

TT

Two (almost) down

I feel like I've spent the past week waiting for service people to come to my house. There wasn't even a lot of things that needed to be done but it seems like I've spent a lot of time invested in waiting which prevented me from doing other things. There were three things we were crazy enough to think we needed done.

1. Have the one piece of broken glass replaced in the window at the front of the house.
2. Replace the kitchen countertops.
3. Convert the downstairs bathtub to a shower.

My only priority was the broken glass. It should have been quick and simple so we had a glass company come out and they gave us an estimate. $358.69.  WHAT? No. We called another company and the new estimate was $269.95.  Alright, okay, that will do. So that is two afternoons shot due to the two estimates and now they need to order the glass and come back to install. Luckily, I got the call and they installed it yesterday afternoon and that is all nice and complete. One down.

Another afternoon/evening was spent (almost two hours)! with the man giving us an estimate on the tub to shower conversion. He offered a material of corelle-like panels instead of tiles and went into deep explanations of the entire procedure. He gave us small samples of the products, and colors to choose. They would demo the three walls around the tub and strip it down to the bare walls. A master plumber would do his part, the new walls and base would be installed and doors would go in. It would be completely installed in two days. His explanation felt like it took two days to get through. The cost was close to $8000.00. I almost packed up this samples for him to hurry him out of the house.

Another afternoon we had the people come out to measure the kitchen countertops. Jay did a little extra work by stopping by their showroom prior to their visit to talk about estimates and he also picked up samples. Jay hadn't given them the correct footage so when they came and measured the price was higher than he anticipated. I called Jay since I was at home with the installer and he at work and told him the final price. He asked me if I should negotiate. What? No! I shook my head at Jay (the phone really). They weren't charging any more. They were just charging for the actual amount of countertop we have. They weren't increasing the price. There was nothing to negotiate and I wasn't going to wait for another estimate. I told them to do it. We are waiting for a call back to say the product is ready and can be installed. That will take up another day for installation.

We waited two other days for tub to shower conversion people that never kept their appointments. Two more wasted evenings and I'm now in a complete tizzy over lost days. That's six lost days out of just over a week. I haven't been able to do anything after work with all this waiting and meeting and talking to people coming to my house. 

The window is done, the countertops will be done soon and another estimate for the tub to shower won't be until next Monday. I was foolish to think these were going to be three simple things. I hadn't anticipated multiplying each one by the various parades I would need to attend in the process. I guess with almost two down, I should count my blessings and try to take advantage of  any free time while I can. Who knows when another parade will begin.

TT

Weeds no more

BEFORE

AFTER

I finally took the time to get the weeds out of the small garden area in the backyard.  A little work can make a big difference. You can actually see the plants starting to bloom!
TT

I have been

I've been writing up a storm lately. I've been spending a lot of time with editing and taking a look at characters from this angle and that. I've been looking for action that moves stories along instead of slowing their pace. There is only one problem. I've been doing it for other people's writing and not my own.

I've been a member of the site writing.com for the past two years. I come and go and I have a few items posted to my portfolio but nothing recent. I'm not much for the social media aspects and that doesn't do me much good in this community, as they call it, but I was given some good feedback when I asked on those few pieces in my portfolio. It helped when I couldn't get anyone else to do it. So, for some reason, the past few days I've been giving reviews to a few posted items for others. I even took on a first chapter for someone that couldn't figure out why it didn't sound the way she wanted it to. I read it and wrote out edits, and suggestions, and how she could do this and that. It took some time and it made me focus. I'm not sure how she wanted it to sound but I gave her suggestions on how it could sound better. She e-mailed me back and seemed very grateful. She wanted to know if I would take another look after she worked on it. Well, okay. That made me feel good. 

It seems that if I am able to figure out someone else's guide to improvements, I should be able to spend some of that time (if not all) on my own writing. It isn't as if I don't have pieces I could be editing. I have plenty or at least enough to keep me very busy. I could be writing up a storm on my own. If only I would.

TT

60 for May

In case you were curious, I did set myself up another goal this month of running 60 miles. I know it isn't much more than I did last month but I want to be able to maintain and add slowly. If it accelerates at any given time it will be bonus points for me but if it keeps on the slow and steady I'll still be able to reach it. And yes, I did a little running since the month started.
TT

Lightning speed

This past work week seemed to last forever. It felt long. Wednesday should have been Thursday, Thursday should have been Friday. The progression of days muddled along at a dirge. I finally hit Friday afternoon and had the weekend.

Then today sped by at the speed of light! Yeah, I know it isn't completely over yet, but how could the feeling of time in a day seem to proceed at such a faster pace than just yesterday? I don't know and you know what? I don't have the time to figure it out!
TT