Suzanne McGrath Photography

Make-up Monday

Wow!  It feels like ages since I've updated my blog and yet it's only been 8 days.  Crazy!  Let's get right to it, shall we?

1.  The hubby and I got back from Cancun last night at 11pm.  That's the reason I didn't blog last night.  After 9 hours of travel, I was EXHAUSTED!  

Anyway, the hubby's company is a small, privately held firm and they wanted to celebrate their 20 year anniversary.  They flew the ENTIRE team (about 30 people) plus their significant others to Mexico for two nights.  Most people, like us, tacked on a day or two on either side of the weekend.  We stayed at the Hotel Riu Palace Peninsula, an all-inclusive resort and it was fabulous.  The hubby and I have never done an all-inclusive trip before and it totally lived up to all the hype.  The only money we spent our entire trip was for tipping, a couple bus rides, and 4 chocolate bars for the girls.  That's it!  

And you might be thinking, but you had to hang out with work people the whole time?!  I swear, nobody he works with reads my blog so I am being completely honest, everyone I met was awesome.  We had SO MUCH FUN hanging out with the whole crew!  Seriously, they were all really nice, down-to-earth, talkative, and just plain fun to be around.  I'm sure it helps that the hubby and I are both extraverts and we love being around other couples but we only like to be around FUN people and we had it in spades this weekend.  Anyway, enough rambling, I took a few pictures...

This is the view from our balcony - we were on the 6th floor:

I don't even know how many pools there were - too many to count.  And the beach was also beautiful.  Of course we swam in the ocean a few times.  But sadly, we were not able to surf because the waves were too small.  Major bummer.

 

I got up early one day so I could photograph the sunrise.  It was stunning:

 

And here is a view at dusk:

 

We had a blast eating and drinking our way through the resort.  But honestly, the buffet my was favorite.  They had sushi one night and I think I ate my weight in raw fish.  It was SO GOOD.  And now that we are home we are trying to "dry out".  The drinks were fabulous but my liver needs a break now!  I should have taken pictures of the pretty drinks and great eats - but I was too busy stuffing my face.

Lastly, I need to give a big shout-out to my mom!  She stayed with the girls while we were gone and managed their crazy, chaotic schedule.  Not only did she simply manage it all, she did GREAT!  She took the kids to Orange Leaf, shopping, out for a movie, to church, and out for dinner.  Not to mention a volleyball match, guitar lessons, and two soccer games.  Thanks, mom, we couldn't have done it without you.  

 

2.  Last time I blogged I forgot to tell you about #1's exciting opportunity.  She is going to Spain with a big group of kids from her high school!  How cool is that?  They are not going until June of 2017 but that's good because it will give us all time to save some money.  We told her that she needs to have a stake in this trip so she has to come up with a thousand dollars on her own!  So of course now she is thinking about how she can earn that money, but her swim schedule makes it difficult to get a regular summer job.  I'm hoping she can become a ref for soccer and make a lot of money next fall.  But truly, she needs to figure it out on her own and I'm confident she'll do it!

 

3.  Speaking of #1, she got her cast off today!

Her wrist looks great but the doctor said it might be sore for a bit as she starts to use it because the muscle is out of shape.  She has a swim meet on Wednesday so I'm curious to see how it goes for her.  I'm hoping for the best but not expecting it.  We shall see...

 

4.  While we were in Mexico, we missed #3's music program at school.  I was seriously bummed because the music teacher at SRE is second to none!  I had several people text me pictures and my mom sent a short video.  It looked like so much fun!  Here is #3 playing the ekuele.  (I blurred out a couple kids because I don't know them.)

 

5.  Last Wednesday I made a fun Greek Marinated Steak platter.  It was not only delicious but really fun to eat.  It was sort of like a tapas meal:

 

6.  I've had my Mac since #3 was a baby.  She's 9.  I can safely say it is time for a new computer.  As soon as my tax return money hits my bank account, I'll be at the Apple store buying a new iMac!  Seriously, have you ever heard of a computer that has lasted for 9 years?  Yeah, me neither.

 
7.  Last week I told you how I had Runner's Knee.  Well, I don't really have much of an update.  It no longer hurts to go down stairs so that is definitely a plus.  But I haven't tried running yet and truth be told, I'm nervous.  I think I'll try it out tomorrow afternoon (if it's not raining) and hope for the best!

 

8.  So last week was a short week at home and the kids were off school Monday, but I still managed to accomplish a few things:

• Removed, painted, and re-installed our handrail to the basement.  (Involved a new gallon of paint and two trips to Home Depot.  This was not for the faint of heart!)
• 
• Not only did I paint the handrail, I replaced the wood pieces the brackets are screwed into.  Now they are pretty and slightly modern.  Much better.
• Bought a new mattress at Ikea.
• Sold the cane chairs in my family room.
• While the kids were off school we went to a movie.  
• Took #1's necklace to get fixed.
• Returned some clothes to Von Maur.
• Went to a nice, long lunch with a friend.
• Took headshots for that same friend.
• Packed for Cancun!

 

Phew!  You got two extras tonight since I felt guilty for not posting last night.  Bonus for you!  Have a great week and let me know if you try that Greek Marinated Steak platter.  Because you totally should!  

 
 

Six on Sunday

Hello!  I hope you had a nice weekend.  I tried to keep a list of things to write about tonight so here goes...

1.  Guess who turned 7 years old on Friday?  #4!  I can hardly believe it myself.  7 just seems so old, doesn't it?

We broke up our tradition and rather than eating in the dining room, we ate alfresco.  It was a gorgeous night and #4 has been dying to eat outside so it worked out perfectly.  She chose kung pao chicken meatballs and roasted green beans for her dinner.  Since we don't have a party planned yet, we celebrated with an ice cream cake from DQ:

She is just the cutest, sweetest little thing and we all adore her.  A few adjectives I'd use to describe her right now:

• Funny.  But not in the usual way.  Funny because she doesn't realize what she is saying is funny.  And the best is when she says something in front of one of her sisters and I can look at them, they can look at me, and we both laugh because we get such a kick out of her!
• Conscientious.  Before she started school I never thought I'd say that about her.  Truly, she is a great student and keeps track of her homework and stays on top of it.  It's awesome.
• Playful.  Oh my god, this kid loves to play!  Just last Friday she made a list of things she can do and play after school.  It was adorable.  (For example, she wrote soos sheff instead of sous chef.)
• Temperamental.  Sometimes she has a short fuse and has trouble not lashing out.  Usually at #3.  
• Sweet.  She still loves to sleep with her bunny and her blankie.
• Picky.  She is not the best eater and I hope it improves.  Greatly.
• Friendly.  She doesn't have a lot of friends but the ones she has are great!

We just love her and she truly does complete our family.

2.  We had about a two week overlap with three kids in braces.  I made sure to document the occasion:

 

3.  Last week I wrote about how we were going to host the entire girls swim team.  We did it and it went great!  It was fun to have all the girls over and see them in action.  Sadly, it was over almost as fast as it started.  The girls swooped in and out in no-time flat!

Also, remember how I wrote about how #1 was going to swim in the 50 Free at the meet last Monday?  Well, since it is a "free", it means you can swim any stroke you want.  She ended up swimming a one-armed backstroke.  The best part?  She came in 3rd out of 5!  And she didn't even start properly since she can't grip on to the starting block.  She just sunk down into the water and pushed off the wall.  It was so fun to watch her swim again.  Even if it was one-armed.

I was so busy watching I almost forgot to even take a picture.  This is a bad iPhone picture but she is the swimmer at the bottom.  You can tell she is on her back:

 

It was a big week for her.  She also got her braces off!

 

4.  #3 had a soccer tournament in St. Louis this weekend.  The hubby took her and also brought along #4.  You know, kids think staying in hotels is the greatest thing ever, right?  While the girls had fun, the trip was a bit of a bust.

The soccer team is playing up an age division and it's been quite an adjustment for them.  They are small to begin with and they are getting out-muscled by the bigger girls.  I know it will pay off in the end, but right now it's hard to watch.  I imagine it's hard for them, as well.  

And then, St. Louis is very spread out.  So the team never really had time to go do anything together that was super fun.  Basically, it wasn't terrible but I felt like the weekend could have been a lot more fun, too.  Oh well.  You win some, you lose some.

 

5.  I enjoyed this past week of unemployment.  However, it's weird because without a set schedule myself, I tend to be forgetful.  The other day I couldn't decide if it was Wednesday or Thursday (it was Thursday) and I forgot to pick up #2 from school (she called 15 minutes later).  Ugh.  

I did accomplish quite a bit so that felt good.  I'm slowly but surely checking things off my list!  Here's what I did:

• Target runs - yes, multiple
• Ikea
• Took #1 to get her restricted license
• Cleaned the house for the swim girls
• Made a pan of lasagna and 3 pans of brownies
• Sewed on missing "jewels" to a T-shirt (Totally tedious and annoying!)
• Tried to repair a necklace.  No go.  Researched a jewelry repair place
• Ironed multiple shirts.  (I despise ironing!)
• Watched New Girl (I'm on season 3!)
• Fixed the bed skirts in the Little's room with special twisty pins
• Fixed the duvet in #2's room with special clips
• Packed the Littles for St. Louis
• Cleaned out the Little's closet
• Went to lunch with a friend
• Met with an Agency regarding my job search (Promptly put the program on hold!)
• Spread mulch in the front flower beds 

All in all, I feel pretty good about what I accomplished.  

6.  I went for a beautiful 8 mile run this morning.  Everything was great except for a bit of sharp knee pain that went away.  Until it came back.  

I came home, had some coffee, and immediately went into the backyard to finish trimming the shrubs and laying mulch.  Well, that was not smart.  A couple hours later my knee was in bad shape.  Just putting any weight on it hurt!  I iced it and sat down for about 30 minutes.  It's better but it still sends shooting pains to my kneecap if I step wrong or put weight on it the wrong way.  My research says it's Runner's Knee.  I'm pissed.  But, what can I do?  I think I'm going to take this week off from working out and running and just rest and ice it.  Hopefully I caught it early enough that it won't get worse - especially if I take time off from the gym for awhile.  Wish me luck!

 

That's all for now.  Have a great week!  The kids are off school tomorrow so I'm excited.  We can sleep in and hang out together!

 

Six on Sunday

Hello!  I hope you had a great weekend.  We did:)

1.  Last week was my first full week of unemployment.  It was WONDERFUL.  I got a ton of stuff accomplished so I feel good about what I did with my time.  Here's my bullet-point list:

• Finished organizing the storage room
• Catalogued my junk and made a large Goodwill drop-off
• Took all my paint to the hazardous waste drop-off
• Cleaned and organized the garage
• Did our taxes.  (We get a refund.  Score!)
• Worked out every day  (Monday through Friday)
• Paid bills (gross - but needed to be done)
• Had lunch with a friend
• Cleaned out the office a bit
• Ran errands to Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Barnes 'n' Noble, the Container Store, and Costco
• Listened to a Webinar on how to search for jobs 
• Started refinishing my new china cabinet
• Watched the entire first season of New Girl (after all, I'm entitled to a little fun, right?!)

Not bad for my first week, huh?

2.  As I walked into the house the other night this is what I saw:

Darby was sitting in the bin of All Things Soccer.  I'm sure the socks are now covered in her fur.  Oh well, not my problem!

 

3.  #1 is in high school swim right now.  This whole high school sport thing is new to me!  Anyway, I am hosting the whole team for dinner here, at our house, on Wednesday night (along with two other moms).  Wish me luck!  There are 38 swim and dive girls so I could have a house full!  But I'm totally not stressing out about it because I'll have all day Wednesday to get ready.  Sweet, right?

Also, #1 still has her cast but her swim coach signed her up to swim the 50 Free tomorrow during a meet.  THAT should be interesting!  She can't really use her arm so she will just kick the whole race.  She is not supposed to dive so I'm a little perplexed as to how this will work?  But I think it's great that she is getting an opportunity to swim so really I'm just excited for her.

 

4.  #2 had a soccer game both yesterday and today.  #3 had a soccer game today, too.  We were really lucky because they were at the same complex and overlapped by 30 minutes.  The hubby watched #2 and I went over to watch #3.  Then, while we were there, #3's friend, Addy, had a game on the next field over from us.  So when the girls were both finished with their games we all headed over to watch Addy's team play.  It was definitely a lot of soccer but so fun!  And I made my girls pose for a picture because they were wearing matching jerseys today!  

(As you can tell, #2 was not into posing for me.  Oh well, I still got my picture!)

 

5.  I let the Littles each have a friend over after school one day this week.  As a special treat, I took everyone to Sonic!

 

6.  #4 had a sleepover with her BFF and I got this picture texted to me Friday night about 10pm.  Aren't they just adorable?

 

And there you have it!  You're all caught up.  Have a great week!

 

   

Master Bathroom Sources

First of all, thank you all so much for your kind words on my Master Bathroom Reveal Post!  It was fun to hear from all of you:)

I know this post is not for everyone, but I've definitely received a bit of help when other bloggers have posted their source lists, so I thought I'd go ahead and put one together.  If it helps one person, then it's all good.

Let's start with this angle:

Vanity - Madison 60" Double Sink Vanity

Vanity lights - George Kovacs Sconces

Mirrors - See All Wall and Lavatory Mirror

Faucets - Delta Vero Roman Tub Trim

Towel bar - Gatco Bleu Chrome Double Towel Bar

Switch plates - Amerelle Brand from Amazon

China cabinet - vintage

 

Here's the bathtub view:

Bath tub - vintage (similiar but not Craigslist price!)

Bath tub faucet - Randolph Morris Faucet Set

Window - We had an independent contractor come in.  If you live locally and want his name, give me a shout!

Tile:

• Subway - Daltile 3x6 Subway tile
• Floor - Ceramic Carrara Tile

Radiant floor heat - The Tile Shop: Pro Heat Wire

 

A view of the shower:

Light fixtures:

• Shower - Traditional Urban Cage Ceiling Light
• Overhead - Mid Century Modern Round Sputnik Chandelier

Shower fixtures - Delta Vero Monitor 14 Series Trim Kit

Shower tile:

• Shower Floor - MS International Pebble tile
• Shower Niche - Similar but not exact 

Shower door - Precision Glass

Paint colors:  Benjamin Moore Swiss coffee for the walls (I don't like it - too yellow!) and Behr Beluga for the tub, window trim, and doors.

 

OK.  Now for the budget break-down.  The space is roughly 150 square feet plus the closet, which we also tiled.  So that gives you an idea of how large of a space we were dealing with.  And I will say we went budget for some items and splurged for some.  This was definitely a high-low project.

Labor, $2,179:

• Tile installation - $700
• Electrician - $850
• Plumbers - $404
• Movers - $225 (I didn't want to carry up the VERY HEAVY vanity, or bathtub, or china cabinet)

Vanity - $1,539

Mirrors - $180

Accessories (towel bars, switch plates, door knobs) - $188

China cabinet - $140

Lights, $740:

• vanity sconces - $180
• shower light - $125
• chandelier - $435

Faucets, $1,622:

• Vanity - $860
• Shower - $297
• Bathtub - $465

Shower door - $1,100

Radiant floor heat kit - $1,000

Tile, $1,203:

• Subway for wall behind the tub - $95
• Floor - $520
• Shower - $588

Toilet - $200

Window - $1,196

Other (plumbing, electrical, drywall, wood trim, waterproofing kit, grout, thinset) - $1,860

The moral of the story?  Budget more than you think it will cost!  I was amazed at how expensive it was just to get the shower ready to tile!  Waterproofing supplies are NO JOKE!  And we definitely had scope creep.  We were not going to replace the window but then we figured, why not?  And the toilet wasn't necessarily in the original plans but again, why not make it perfect?!  

So there you have it.  I hope this gives you a good idea of what it will cost to renovate a bathroom while being your own general contractor.  Thanks for reading along!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six on Sunday

Hello!  Did you have great weather today like we did?  Well, minus the wind.  I hope so!  Anyway, let's go...

1.  #1 got her cast last Monday!  I took her to the doctor and they did another set of x-rays (the fourth in total) and her break is healing really well.  They put the cast on (which took no time at all) and sent us on our way.  She should get it off three weeks from tomorrow.  Plus, the waterproof cast has allowed her to get in the pool and kick this past week.  While it's not swimming, it's definitely better than nothing.  My fingers are crossed that is truly able to get it off and swim in three weeks.  Hopefully, swim fast, too!

Don't you love the purple?

 

2.  Tuesday was a big day.  #3 got her braces!  

She only has them on her front four teeth - top and bottom.  I'm so thankful she was able to get them this young because her teeth are totally JACKED!  She looks adorable in her braces and should only need them for 10 months.

She was so nervous before we headed into the orthodontist!  She held it together really great and everything went smoothly.  She had her braces on in just an hour.  And THAT's when she broke down.  She started crying those silent tears.  I think she was just so relieved it was over that she couldn't hold it together any longer.  (And she is not a crier.  None of my kids are criers.)  Anyway, we celebrated with a Sonic shake.  At 10am in the morning.  Love that kid!

 

3.  There was another reason Tuesday was a big day in our household.  It was the hubby's birthday!  His requested dinner was chipotle burrito bowls.  Go figure.  And we gave him a blue-ray player.  We are now officially part of the 21st century!  It was a great gift because he was just as excited as the kids.  So funny.

Of course the kids were beside themselves that we didn't have cake.  So I made a trip to Twister's to pick up dessert for the family.  Yummy!

(Yes, that's Christmas wrapping paper.  It's just how I roll.  At least it was wrapped, right?)

 

4.  Thursday was my last day of work.  I had a lovely lunch with a bunch of co-workers and we laughed.  A lot.  THAT is my kind of send-off!  

Friday I drove the Little's school carpool and came home.  I walked in the door and had NO CLUE what I was supposed to do.  It's not like I haven't taken a vacation day for myself, but I always had it mapped out.  Friday I had nothing.  It was really, really weird.  I watched two episodes of New Girl (loved it!) and then decided to tackle this:

I don't know how this happens, but it does.  This was not the first time I've tackled this room!  I only made it halfway through before I had to quit.  (I finished today.)

Then today after I went to the grocery store I almost started prep for the week.  Until I remembered, I'm not working right now.  I don't have to do meal prep.  WooHoo!!

 

5.  Friday afternoon I headed down to my mom's house in Arkansas with two of my great running friend, Carmen and Rhonda.  We ran the Bentonville half marathon on Saturday morning:

It was a pretty chilly start!  Only 32*.  We all had on throw-away shirts.  (I didn't lose mine until Mile 9, I think.)  Overall, it was a nice run.  Carmen and I ran together for the first 10 miles together (Rhonda woke up with a raging cold and was a minute or so behind us) and just enjoyed ourselves.  Once Carmen put her headphones in we split up a bit but were still within a minute of each other.  There is a massive hill in the last mile and it didn't kill me so that was a win in my book!  I felt good afterwards and that was wonderful.  It was really nice to be able to show my friends the trails I run every time I head to Arkansas!

We celebrated our run with a great lunch with my mom.  We ate at Table Mesa located on the Bentonville square.  We pigged out and had fabulous conversation.  It was a really nice lunch!  After lunch we shopped a little before heading back to KC.  It was a really quick but fun 24 hours!

 

6.  I have a few plans for my unemployment this next week:

• Do our taxes
• Make a run to take our paints to the hazardous waste site
• Make a Goodwill run
• Work on scrapbooks
• Watch more episodes of New Girl (keeping it honest here!)

 

And there you have it!  Another Six on Sunday in the books.  Have a great week!