Weekend here and gone

November is 1/3 gone already. What?? There's been a lot going on, so I suppose that's why I am in a mild state of shock that today is the 10th and not the 2nd or 3rd.

We're almost through with a bathroom remodel that started last Monday. It was scheduled to be complete by the end of the day on Friday, but there have a few things left for the plumber and the electrician to finish. Everything got pushed back because of some plaster repair when the wall tile was removed. I watch home repair shows, so I was relieved that we weren't facing mold or asbestos abatement!  

Jeff and Lindsay Wilson did the tile work. 

Here, the wall tile is gone, plaster repair done, floor being prepped.

Lindsay was supervising Jeff as he applied adhesive to the wall tile. They were so nice to work with. I appreciated Jeff's attention to detail and his careful review of what he'd be doing before he started each day, and what was accomplished at the end of the day.

 Wall tile, done and grouted.

I'll put up pictures after the plumbing and electrical work are finished mid-week. Painting will follow on the weekend.

NOTE: It's now 11/17, a week later. Plumbing is back in, but today we discovered a leak that has soaked into the ceiling tiles in the basement bathroom. This, after picking up the mirror yesterday, taking it out of the box, unwrapping the protective cover, and finding a thumbprint-zed wad of what looks like shiny black chewing gum on the frame. It's elastic-y, so it stretches when I try to pull it off, but then snaps right back into place. GooGone doesn't work. I'm concerned I'll ding the wood or scrape off the paint if I try anything else, so I'm waiting for the word about what to do. I shoulda just bought a mirror myself at Target.

We had some visitors this week, too, of the little boy variety. Snow was a big draw for Ethan and Owen after preschool. They ran around making tracks in the backyard for an hour on Wednesday.

Then it was time to come in, strip off all the wet clothes, and play puppies. These puppies were wearing underwear, just so you know.

I was away all day on Friday and got home in time to greet Annie, Westy, and Miles, who came for supper and to sleep over. Their first act of business after eating was to shower and transform themselves into the penguin brothers.

Grandpappy and Westy did some reading.

On Saturday morning, Annie went for a run with Auntie Angie. While they were out in the chilly air, Miles and Weston made brownies to take to Ethan and Owen for lunch.

 

Before lunch at E and O's, the boy cousins offered to put on a show for the adults. The picture is grabbed from a video of the four of them watching "What Does the Fox Say?" on an iPad and dancing during various parts of the song. Anyone who wasn't fully engaged in watching the show had the option of sneaking a peak at football in the background. Masks, animal headbands, and superhero costumes are perfect for dramatic interpretations.

After playing with E and O, Westy rested with his mommy while Miles and I put together a puzzle. Miles has tremendous patience for 100 piece puzzles. When I asked him if he ever gets frustrated while putting puzzles together, he said no, it's fun for him to do. This happens to be a reenactment of putting in the final piece. Miles is good at reenacting, too.

Joel the carpenter arrived shortly before Annie, Miles, and Westy left to visit Grandpa Dave and Grandma Doreen. Miles was interested in what he was doing, and here both boys are getting a lesson in how to calk a counter top. An added bonus in this picture is the mirror that is not a mirror. It arrived, but the mirror hadn't been put into the frame. Joel installed the hardware so it will be ready to go when a glass company in Mankato corrects the problem!

Before supper tonight we had a fun FaceTime session with Elisabeth, Vivi, and Hannah. Mostly with E and V, as Hannah was helping Evan prepare their dinner and only had time to say a quick hello and tell us about riding horses yesterday at the home of someone Elisabeth works with. Apparently one of the horses gave a bumpier ride than the other, which H was eager to share with us.

That's about it for the weekend. All that's left is Sunday night. Tomorrow is Veteran's Day. I was thinking about how lucky I am that my grandpa survived WW I, my dad and uncle survived WW II, Aunt Marguerite served stateside in the WAVES during that war, and another uncle made it through the Korean War. A third uncle was a jet pilot who flew missions over Viet Nam and lived through it, too. Nephew Jamie served in the Balkans, Kosovo, and Afghanistan, and is now an officer in the Army National Guard. Thanks to them, and to everyone who serves in the U.S. military.