House Update

So, it's been over a month since I last posted. I can't believe there was a time in the not so distant past that I posted almost everyday. Now, I'm down to monthly. There are a couple of things I definitely need to post about and backdate, and here's my short list so I don't forget: Mother's day, Kacy's birthday, and Ed's birthday. I need pics for all three of those things first though. Onward to the house update.

Here are some pictures I've taken today:

 We got this baby at an auction, thanks to Ryan's dad's love of bargains and watchful eye. It needs some TLC, but a little powder coating, a little BBQ paint, and some new knobs, and we've got a restaurant grade range, ready to be put to use! Here is some trivia for you: This range is six feet long. (it also has a convection oven and three feet of flat grill!). The kitchen in the trailer is 5 1/2 feet long, with two feet of that a sink, and almost three feet a stove. That's right, my cutting board, which is the size of a piece of regular old paper, fits "just so" on the remaining counter space. I can't wait to use this thing! And have some space!

 Our bathroom sinks. They are still in boxes, but we have them!

 This is looking down one end of our closet. I took this picture to show you the doors. We thought at first that we would distress them a little, like the one on the right. But I think we are going for the solid painted look, like the one on the left. And actually, since they are stained a mahogany color under the paint, they have this dimensional paint look. These bad boys are 8 feet tall, and they weigh a ton. They are not pre-hung, nor are they finished.  

 Our front door. Ryan designed it, and with the help of his dad, put it all together. I'm just not strong enough to lift up and assemble a door that literally weighs between 300-400 pounds. It's solid 4x6 beams, tongue and grooved together. It needs a light sanding, and the whole thing needs some staining. we have a lot of staining.

 Here is what we've been doing this week. We set all the saltillo tile in our bedroom, closet, bathroom, laundry, and back bath. This is the laundry room. The saltillo is very light colored, and we love the irregularity of it. But we don't love the light peachy colors. So, we got some sealer (because you have to seal it before you grout), added some liquid cement dye to it, and voila- saltillo with a darker tone! As you can maybe tell, I ran out. And, I started in the laundry room because I want my washer and dryer hooked back up ASAP. We painted our walls an off-white-very-light-tan color so the stained trim will stand out. We went through SIX different colors, getting lighter each time. We like dark stuff, and we like colored paint, but with the dark floors and dark trim, the walls needed to have contrast.

Our shower and toilet room. The shower is ungrouted, but sealed and ready to go. The floor is not sealed yet. I don't even know if I posted pictures of the kids' shower that is finished and used daily- but it looks the same, just slightly smaller. The tile is Idaho Quartz, so the man who sold it to us said. We got a smokin' deal on this tile: you can buy 6 inch slate tile for a dollar a tile at a store. That's $4.00 a square foot. We found ours in front of the laundromat in our closest lake town, in a crate. We called the number, and we got it for $1.00 a square foot. And it's prettier than the slate because some of the tile has a sheen to it. Working with the Idaho Quartz took some getting used to. None of the tiles are the same thickness and a lot of them are not truly square. We ditched the spacer on day 3 of the first shower, and haven't looked back. We eyeball. Ryan and I make an excellent tiling team. We both agree we couldn't do tiling without each other. We layout, he mixes the mud, and he cuts. (He also mudded the first shower, because I drove him nuts when I did it.) I set the tile, seal, grout, and seal again. For the second shower and all the flooring, I also laid the morter, as I learned how! I didn't even drive him nuts, and he was happy to let me mud. 

All in all, we have been very busy with projects on the house. Everything takes longer than you think, and costs more than you think, but we are slowly getting there. Our house is one of those houses where you either love it or hate it, because it definitely has a style. And, if you don't like that style, then it won't suit you. But we love it, and that's what counts, right? Now if we can just get the dang thing done!

I'm not sure how I feel about spending six years living in an RV. SIX YEARS. That's coming up, and it seems weird. But hey, I'm still here, and still happy, and the kids are mostly well adjusted and healthy... who cares if the trailer is breaking down and after we pay it off I wouldn't mind seeing it burn to the ground? :)