happy fourth of july!

we have much to be thankful for—including freedom. what were your holiday plans? ben and i just got back from mitchell, sd. we took hundreds of pics on the trip (including both of these) and we are loving our new camera. i'll be back tomorrow to share more images. they may or may not involve a corn palace.

be safe tonight!

a big day in my world

 

i bought a camera today. if you've been following me here, you'll know this has been in the works for a long time. last fall i started researching. i took on some extra projects at work and put in some overtime hours. knowing i was saving for a camera was motivating! ben helped with the decision, of course, and has been very encouraging and patient.

[i just did a little practicing tonight when we got home—especially with depth of field. fitting that it was a fitzgerald book on the top of my pile. it looks like canon is about to announce a new 60d, but oh well. such is technology. we're going on vacation soon and i'm ready to get learning!]

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.