:::Falls on Floor, Exhausted:::

I'm about as done as I can be, all things considering (like needing to replace the dripping faucet, but it has to wait for DH to be off to do that). Done that is, with the main batheroom!!!!
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I'm very happy at the moment.
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Before (sorta. I painted the cabinets white shortly after moving it, because the oak was fugly):
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And remember when I painted the walls back in November because I bought new rugs?
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Well, the time had arrived for the new flooring!
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We bought a single tile down south of us, put it in the batheroom, and liked it. So we called the Lowes north of us (much closer), and asked about the tile. They don't stock it there. But HUGE customer service rave!!!! They sold me the more expensive tiles at the same price I would have paid for the tiles I wanted!
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I took my original tile in, found it's long lost identical cousins, and brought all 70 home for $.88 cents each. We also bought the glue/primer that helps the self-stick tiles stick better on the wood subfloor, silicone caulking (that I ended up not using much of), and a new heat vent for the floor.
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The tile was bought on a Sunday, and on Monday, I did this:
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Like my painted square? We had to replace the wax seal on the toilet in December, and discovered serious floor damage. J replaced the many, many subfloors, and I painted it white to protect it from moisture, since we had cut away the linolium.
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On Tuesday, I bought a trowel, and spread the primer/bonding adhesive. After it sat for 5 hours and was just tacky to the touch, I started laying tile!
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On Wednesday, I finished laying the tile, and started sealing the joints with white caulking.
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On Thursday, DH helped me put the toilet back in with (yet another) new wax seal. Much to my horror, I hooked everything up, and discovered lots of water leaking out of the tank.
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J went to Home Depot and bought a $7 part to fix it, while I researched repairs on the internet.

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That night, I played plumber, and as they say, out with the old, and in with the new!

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The new floater isn't a ball. It's... different. But it works!
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The floor (and toilet) were done!
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On Sunday, I bought towels. At the advice of several opinionated friends, I went with the eggplant, chocolate, and gold. And, for the record, K-Mart carries a new line from Country Living. VERY nice stuff, at great prices.
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This past Saturday, I purchased 12 more vinyl self stick tiles, this time from Home Depot, and in granite. I cut the to 4x4 squares, sanded down the laminate counter top (followed by a good wiping), and laid tile on top of it. I "grouted" it with white caulking (like the floor), and my previously pale blue piece of plastic, is a stone look alike!

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I painted all the switch plates tan, so that they flowed better as well.
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Like my antiqued brass accessories? Cannon from K-Mart. Yeah, baby!

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and finally, the finished space:

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Love my vintage cameras! Gotta have 'em EVERYWHERE, lol!

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My decor cost me $15. Most of the stuff you see, I had on hand, or I had the supplies on hand to make them. Tree branch is from my own backyard.

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My goal was elegant and classy. I think I reached it.
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I Want to be a Two Year Old

I want to wake in the morning to my mommy's smiling face as she kisses my cheek and hugs me close, and promises me breakfast after she changes me.

I want to steal my brother's open lunch box and dump it on the floor so I can swipe his juice box.

I want to insist on bringing my woofwoof & minky blanket to go grocery shopping. And then sing a song I made up while we sit in the carwash cleaning salt off the truck.

I want to ride in a red plastic car with two steering wheels while mommy shops, and beep at everyone I see & wave hi. I will attempt to swipe bananas while mommy weighs some produce.

I want to eat a sugar laden cookie with sprinkles while the bakery tells me how cute I am. And then I will ask for another cookie, and get one.

I want to stand in the cart and hand mommy things, one.at.a.time. so that she can put them on the belt.

I want to ride in the shopping cart at Joann's and touch everything I can reach. No body cares how much toddlers pet yarn!

I want to be taken to Taco Bell, eat all my food and demand some of my mom's. Which will be spit out when I realize that there are veggies in it.

I want to try to take my seatbelt off while mommy drives home, and surprise her when I stand up in my seat. Aren't I clever?

I want to roam around the backyard, dragging my blanket in the dirt, leaves, & dead grass, while mommy unloads everything out of the truck.

I want to help mommy putaway groceries. Who cares if that jar doesn't go there?

I want to climb into daddy's bed and jump on him while yelling, "Hi Dad!" and be rewarded with a smile and my tummy being tickled.

I want to yell that I want to go outside while mommy cleans mud off my shoe, and the floor where I tracked the mud.

I want to drive my toys around the yard, insist that mommy follows me the whole way, and then, I want her to push my in the swing for exactly 3 pushes before I decide that I want to slide. And play with the Tonka firetruck. No, slide. No, truck. No, swing. No, slide.

I want to be carried inside after I bump my head, covered in kisses, and be washed off.

I want to be tucked into my bed, with a clean diaper, my minky blanket (that Mommy shook off outside), 10 billion crochet blankets, my minky pillow, a cotton sheet, and all (this means all) of my favorite stuffed animals.

I want to have my tummy rubbed while I suck down another sippy of water and my eyes drift shut.

I want to nap in the warm sunlight, snug in my bed. (Or so mom thinks)

I'm not asking too much, am I?

The Clothesline Said So Much

It's finally warming up again, outside! Yippee!!! Yippee!!!

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The snow melted pretty fast, but there's stil some piles here and there. We've been in the 50's several days now, off and on, but the wind is still nippy. And if the wind is nippy, my hands will freeze hanging wet clothes on the line. So I'm waiting. But soon, in about a week, my clothesline will again become primary source of dried clothing around the house.

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Tonight, while web browsing, I came accross this poem, and it made me feel all warm and summery.

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Enjoy!

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The Clothesline Said So Much

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A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the fancy sheets
And towels on the line;
You'd see the company table clothes
With intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth
To folks who lived inside
As brand new infant clothes were hung
So carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed
You'd know how much they'd grown.

It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.

It said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy gray,
As neighbors raised their brows,
And looked disgustedly away.

But clotheslines now are of the past
For dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess.

I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line!
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-Marilyn K. Walker
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