even more thrilled.

today, our tile guy grouted the shower floor and installed the white 3 x 6 ceramics in a subway pattern on the shower walls. they still need white grout and the curb isn't finished yet, but it's taking shape! there was shrieking involved when i came home, and it wasn't ben. i think it looks great!

tomorrow, he'll lay the small hex tiles on the main floor and finish the curb. wednesday, he'll grout the shower walls and main floor and be done!

we also had our cabinetry delivered and installed today. here's a sneak peek (it's a little dusty):

we've had some ups and downs with both the cabinetry and the tile. we had planned to use a gorgeous gray-and-white marble tile as a thin "stripe" through the shower. i was seriously crazy about this tile—probably a little too crazy about it. ben picked it out, and i just couldn't stop staring at it in the store. you can see it in this pic—it's the tiny subway-style marble one on the bottom right.

we knew it was special order, but i placed the order with enough time to allow for shipping and transport. well, long story short, it was back-ordered until the end of july, which we found out rather late in the game. at first, i was really mad. i mean, i thought this tile was going to make our bathroom. then i took a step back, prayed about it, and realized it is just tile. really not worth getting mad about—in fact, it would be rather ridiculous to stay mad about it. so we went ahead without it, and i'm so glad we did. the shower walls look great just plain white. [we put in three white corian corner shelves. the low one is a shaving step.] i know God worked it out the way He did to teach me to let go and to remind me that this is all just "stuff."

we had trouble with our cabinets, too. they were supposed to be delivered last monday. we got home from work and they weren't there. when i called to check in, i found out there had been a miscommunication and they weren't scheduled to be delivered until july 1! eek. thankfully, we were able to have them delivered today, but once again, a lesson in patience and a reality check that this is really not that important.

we ordered a double vanity and a seven-foot linen closet in the corner. the wood has an espresso stain. of course, i thought white would be nice, but with all the white on the floor and in the shower, i thought the bathroom needed some contrast. we're happy with the dark color, but now we have to decide about those countertops...

getting there!

thrilled.

a brown skating rink and other news

today, our tile guy built the shower curb and set the sublayer for the shower. i peeked in while he was working and he described to me what he was doing. i told him it looked kind of like he was playing in a sandbox. he laughed.

he also poured the self-leveler on the rest of the floor. it is now all shiny and smooth. he put tape across the door to keep us out!

other updates:

1) we're having the hardest time deciding on a material for the vanity top. first, i went to princess marble to get an estimate on cultured marble (which is an engineered material) with two integrated sinks (just plain white, of course). ben wasn't super thrilled about the material, and maggie gave a less-than-sterling review of the cultured marble tops she's seen. so i called our corian guy for an estimate. it was almost twice as much as the cultured marble. eek! so i went back to princess marble and asked for "one step up" from cultured marble. she recommended stone, because we can use a remnant and get a decent price. because i'm crazy about white and very particular about speckles and veining, she suggested quartz. but with stone, you can't have integrated sinks, so you have to decide about a drop-in or an undermount sink...grrrr. we'll see.

2) i'm zooming in on a camera purchase (get it? zooming! ha!). i think it will be a canon. but the real question is: new or slightly used? we'll see. more research needed.

[post not worthy of a real title]

during this renovation, i have learned two fun words: flange and schluter.

that's all. be safe today!

heated floors

we stayed up until midnight on monday installing the heated cables that will go under our tile in the bathroom. we had an inspection at 8am tuesday: we passed.

i asked ben to take a picture of me to prove that i do pitch in on the work! :)

the project was kind of fun, like a brain teaser. you have to figure out the most efficient way to lay the coils so they are between 2 and 3 inches apart (but not closer than 2). plus, you have to cover the whole floor—with the vanity, toilet, and other areas, ours isn't a perfect square, so we wound it a few different directions (ben planned it all out). and finally, you don't want a bunch left over, because you can't just cut off the end. considering the bathroom is about 120 square feet, it is kind of amazing that the cable ended as well as it did. about a half a foot more cable would have been perfect.

things are moving slowly but surely. we had a few delays and disappointments, but i'll write about them in another post. God is good!

ladies and gentlemen...

in the right corner, weighing in at 150 pounds, we have quiet moments by benjamin moore (top). don't be surprised by its mellow name. it can pack a punch. in the left corner, weighing in at 160, is palladian blue by benjamin moore (bottom).

palladian blue won with a TKO in the first round. we had it color matched by sherwin williams. it looks great on the walls. quiet moments is down for the count and...we have a winner. ding ding!

paraphernalia

i think some people who read this blog might appreciate these.

for sale here.

for those who are curious...

is it strange that i like the color of the sheetrock? hmmm...

here's where we were a year ago with the kitchen remodel. funny. we've come so far, yet, we have so far to go.

gypsum and fish

what is that, you may ask. oh let me tell you. those are sheets of drywall that will be hung tomorrow! woohooo! i'm so excited about it.

on monday, the foam insulation was blown into the exterior walls. i came home to the familiar fish smell. today, we passed our insulation inspection. tomorrow, a crew is coming to hang the gypsum! (my favorite name for drywall.)

last time around, we hung the drywall ourselves (with lots of help from family and friends!). it took us a long, long time. this time around, we decided to spend the money to have a crew hang it for us. it isn't as expensive as one might think.

i'm meeting the ladies from my small group at psycho suzi's right after work tomorrow, but i might have to sneak home between to see the walls!

favorite interior designers

i posted about new creations the other day. now it is time to talk interior design.

the following ladies are two of my favorite, favorite, FAVorite interior designers. i first read about their work in domino magazine, which unfortunately folded last year. i think they both use contrast in a really interesting way.

first up is mary mcdonald, who decorates commercial and residential spaces. she's gutsy. not for the faint of heart. lots of saturated colors and bold prints but plenty of white, too. i was able to grab a few images from her site. enjoy!

 [all images from mary mcdonald]

next up: windsor smith. a touch more feminine, delicate. glamorous, but still bold. she has a collection of furniture, rugs, and fabric, too.

 [above images from windsor smith]

 [above images from house beautiful] 

those last two are just gorgeous, in my opinion. i'm posting these images in part because i'm starting to formulate my design plan to furnish the living room, dining area, and our master. i've been dragging my feet, not making any decisions about how to move forward. we've saved some money for fill-in furniture pieces, and this is garage-sale season! we won't buy all new things. we'll mix and match to work with what we have. but we'll buy some new pieces, and before we do, i want to have a plan. so that's why i've been spending extra time compiling favorite photos to get ideas for how to proceed. hopefully, it will save us from making impulse purchases and wasting money. because those who fail to plan, plan to fail. :)

an evening at the foshay

are you in need of a date night? we were. it was my turn to plan, and i kept it a surprise. we started at california pizza kitchen. but that wasn't the best part.

ben has an interest in the foshay tower and its history. i read on abraham piper's blog that visitors can go up to an observation deck on the top of the building! i've lived in minnesota for 23 years and i had no idea. apparently, ben didn't either, because he was really confused when i drove him downtown, parked in a ramp, and walked into the w hotel. he told me later that he was worried i was taking him to a twins game! ha!

for $8 each, you get a special elevator key that allows access to the thirtieth floor. there, a small museum displays pictures, newspaper clippings, and documents relating to foshay, his companies, and his mail fraud trial. a staircase leads you up to the observation deck. you step out and...there it is! the city in all directions!

the weather was lovely and the wind wasn't too bad. the whole time i was up there, though, i didn't feel like i was quite with it—i didn't feel queasy, but i felt a little googley-eyed. the views are great. we saw target field, the convention center, brit's pub, and all the way out to the black dog power plant, which is near our house. we saw a wedding that looked to be in a little courtyard at the top of the [northstar?] hotel. [using the telescopes, ben could even determine that one guest had particularly strong tan lines.]

we had a good time, and i would recommend it. it's one of those cool things to do in the city that make you feel special.