I stole this photo..

...from Completely Coastal.... don't know where she got it....but, how cute is this?  A porthole for your kitty to come and go..... check out the blog sometime.  I love to look at the sea treasures and snoop through the photos to see what people do with them.... ....

having warped fun....

You have to laugh at something when you are forced to live in the basement... which is getting more overstuffed by the day with contents from each cupboard that is removed down here as well... for changing over water tanks and furnaces too...and, which was already overstuffed with everything from the main floor of your house...  cooking in an electric frying pan, microwave and BBQ.  Making sure you are dressed in case some plumber or electrician bounces down the steps and charges straight into the laundry room where you do everything .... I did scare one guy by yelling that I was naked  ..hahhaha... ohhhh..... the look on his sweet, innocent face....I'll laugh at that for years and get some mileage in the telling too.  I was fully clothed.  Our laundry room is our 'main' room down here....for cooking, cleaning and it even has a toilet.... thank goodness.  But, some days...plumbing days .... even I have to use the porta potty...now that we have a new one after the other one sprung a leak.  I watched the guy unload it...no wonder they leak.  Two of them fell right off his truck when he was shoving things around.....

Oh, and...our gas/plumbing failed the inspection on Friday.... the poor plumber was shaken and embarrassed, until he found out it was not his work that had failed...but, gas fittings from our last big reno.... 15 years ago.  Great....... we've had a small leak for all those years... but, only under the extreme pressure they use to test the lines.   And..it is higher pressure than anybody used in previous renovations 25 pounds... which is much more than ever is needed or used regularly.  It is not a safety issue ... whew....!  just a "code" issue...as usual.

The damn codes are making me crazy.  Get this one.... there MUST be an electrical outlet within 3 feet of your front door?  HUH??> Why??  nobody can tell me.  But...it's CODE!.... so, we have to put a big ugly electrical outlet ...right in the middle of my beautiful new stone on the wall.  Okay fine then..... I made the stone guy stain the surround gray stoney block black so it blends into the dark stone around it ... , and I am going to buy a black cover or spray paint one black so I can't notice it too....the buggers.  Code.  Pagh!

Had some more fun at some neighbours expense again yesterday.  I'm not sure what part of "gutted" people have absolutely not been understanding...but, when they walk in......I guess they finally get it.  They must think I exaggerate.

Jaws drop.... there is audible gasping....  eyes widen in horror...  at the mess my lovely, once pristine hardwood is in....  yeh, they finally get it then.......

Oh, sure, there was some protection put down...almost grudgingly .....in only some places..... and they regularly assure us they never usually put down anything....

it didn't help anyway.... there is always an idiot handy to undo whatever was done to protect something isn't there? .....

I've also been assured the hardwood guy is a magician.  Well, even a magician couldn't just wave a wand and fix this....he will have to take out about 16 pieces of Chicasaw to feather in the mess made with a skill saw whose user obviously had no skills whatsoever ..... the guard supposedly 'failed'.... hmmmm...somebody is lucky his foot wasn't in the way of that runaway.....

...see??   told ya.....gutted..... yep...nothing but empty....with some new drywall now...and the first coat of tape and mud.....

..mud, slop... you name it .....

sure it has to be refinished...but really?..... couldn't we have made things a bit easier on the poor hardwood guy?  I wonder if he is ever shocked by the before and after.  When he came to estimate the refinishing it sure as he** didn't look like this.

Yes, we did widen doorways......

.. and enlarge closets......

.. and of course, change kitchen cabinets....

...... but, really?? ..........

somebody is always watching.....

hahhahahha.....this is my horoscope for today........ how do they always seem to know? ...whoever it is that writes this stuff that is ... ........

Work :

Delays, frustrations and annoyances... your patience is being sorely tested. Hang in there! Show what you are made of. You might surprise yourself.

The rock guys got a start on some stone on the front of the house yesterday ....  today...it's raining...so they aren't around.

still going......

I guess sometimes it looks a whole lot worse before things get better.......sigh.....

We opted for spray foam insulation in the walls..... I sure hope the electrician knew his stuff....because when we come to "light up" ....... nobody will be moving any wires without chiseling them out of this stuff.  It is like concrete.

and, speaking of cement .... those guys wouldn't listen when we told them it was too hot for this large a pour ...so...of course, it was too late to get in some expansion joints.... and now...yep....they will have to come back to do something 'bout it.....

as well as replace one chunk in the front where the expansion joint goes on a 20 degree slant instead of straight across ....right in front of the porch....arrgghhh!!!  it never ends with little things not working out just right .....and yesterday to add insult to injury.....the rental porta potty....sprung a leak and we had to call for assistance....it is hot, smelly and now...chemical all over the alleyway....we will get shut down at this rate.... and fined too if somebody is not vigilant.  Me.

...... renovation saga to be continued.......................................

Remembering a happy-go-lucky kinda guy....

My nephew Robert, only 42 .....


Rest in Peace, Robbie





And, may I add....for anybody who has family or friends taking prescription drugs for pain after surgery......  Oxycontin is just a fancy name for the first step on the highway to hell....please try something else first.  It should be the last resort.

I love Boris...

...he always has a smile.  Russians.  They know how to deal with adversity.  I wish I had some Russian blood.

The 'Reno' continues ....... and becomes ever more inclusive.... of course.  The age of the house plays against us....the wiring needs to be brought up to code and every time we peel off another sheet of drywall...more ancient wiring (along with tatty insulation).  Well, relatively speaking... because it is only 46 years old at the most .... .. and some years less than that for all other renovations since the house was built.  But...new codes, ya know.... with some big changes from as recent as 2 years ago.. I think the poor electrician has finally got it all done.... with the exception of a new sub panel which we need to add several areas.... that will be after the inspector gives his okay.

Baked some great chocolate chip cookies in my tiny toaster oven.  What an amazing job that little thing does!  Look at these!  Sure, I can only bake 6 at a time ...but, come on ...who needs to bake more than a dozen at a time anyway?  The electrician, the contractor, Mr. BV and me.... all laughed, but, definitely enjoyed a warm cookie straight out of the oven.  Who needs a stove anyway?

Tomorrow, the plumber will be back..... We also went to the door and handle shop..... made some choices ....have chosen lights and fixtures....  some sconces for the en suite bathroom showed up on the porch .... hate when that happens...no notice from the delivery guy...we just noticed it because we wandered around to the front to check out what things were looking like out there.  We are using the back doors seeing as all is under construction out front....