I remember a point during 2017, as we worked to refresh our tired-looking 1980's 'new' home just after taking possession and moving in, when it felt like all we were doing was spending money. It was an exhausting feeling. Well, we are sort of back to that point now, with the finalization of our upcoming bathroom/linen cabinet/laundry room redo, and it is as just exhausting now as it was then.
Part of it is me, in that things have to be 'just so' or I will obsess myself into a tizzy. Generally a 24-48 hour cooling off period will reset me back to sanity, meaning many back and forth trips to return items that I initially thought were must haves, but then came to my senses about within a day or two.
The majority of the refresh will be with regard to materials, not layout, however, our master bedroom bath is being completely redone, and I am so pleased with the enhancements that will result. Like any home, ours is not 100% perfect, and one of those areas is our master bath. It's somewhat modest as ensuites go, so function is important, and the current function lacks due to wasted space. Here is a rough drawing of our new cabinetry layout, which will roughly double our current storage.
We're adding a built in laundry hamper (labeled 'Dbl. Trash' above, because it's the same hardware commonly used in kitchens for roll out trash containers) , and a new set of cabinets on top of the counter, between our two sinks, called a 'tower.' We are also adding deep drawers at the bottom of each of our sink areas by raising the overall height of the cabinets from 31 to 35 inches, plus shortening the footplate from 9" to just "4 inches. The 9" of gained space resulted in these wonderful new bottom drawers becoming a possibility.
Looking forward to what will hopefully be several beautifully refreshed spaces before the end of the year. As you may have read, home remodeling companies are being slammed right now due to COVID. With nowhere to go, and wanting to be more comfortable while stuck at home, people are remodeling like never before.
Otherwise, Currently I Am . . .
Hoping that the hormone replacement treatments I just began this week will provide some much needed relief in the weeks ahead. I've been white knuckling it for some four years now, but the crushing fatigue, sleepless nights, and nonstop hot flashes were simply not letting up, and I finally threw in the towel. I'm noticing small improvements already, Day Three, with regard to my sleep, so fingers crossed. Currently I'm on the absolutely lowest level available, so there is considerable wiggle room should it be needed.
Enjoying a slight break in the humidity that descended here at the beginning of August. We are back to being able to open our windows in the morning, plus sit outside either in shade or after the sun sets, and it has been lovely.
Practicing both golf and guitar. Enjoying both of these new pursuits tremendously!
 |
Hubby working on his swing during a recent lesson. Note the misting fan in lower right our instructor set up - beyond awesome on a hot summer day! |
Watching The Crown on Netflix. We are late to this series, but regardless we are much enjoying it!
Listening to another excellent New York Times Podcast, 1619, which seeks to examine the long shadow of slavery. So far, two episodes in out of six episodes total, I am completely spellbound.
Reading same book that I was last week, The Last Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. I really am enjoying the book, I've just been distracted by remodeling discussions, guitar, golf, yoga, our HOA pool, yada, yada. I am determined to finish it before another week goes by, however!
Buying an electric keyboard. My husband has apparently been inspired by the progress I'm making on my guitar playing, and shared that he had been thinking about getting a keyboard so that he could practice quietly in his office before taking it down to our not-so-quiet piano downstairs. It arrived this week, and he happily spent several hours on it in his office as I strummed quietly next door in my office. At some point we may elect to jam together, but not yet!
Cooking several delicious meals from Eating Well, the magazine that took over from my beloved Cooking Light magazine. In particular, this Chicken Tenders Salad, was fantastic!
Thinking About so many things . . . COVID, Hurricane Laura, yet another unarmed black man gunned down by police, a 17 year old with an AR that resulted in two unarmed people being shot dead . . . the list of awful things just seems to go on and on and on.
Looking Forward To a mini-RV getaway in September to a beach resort near San Diego. We'll take our bikes and enjoy riding around the some of San Diego's wonderful beach-adjacent bike paths while there, in addition to spending time at the beach.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's it for me. What have you been doing currently? Please share!
Sounds like you have a lot going on at the moment! The makeover of your ensuite will be well worth all the time and trouble you have spent making sure it is 'just right'.
ReplyDeleteThe news from America does seem like one bad thing after another at the moment, and I am sure we only hear half of it over here.
The Crown was such a good series and I am looking forward to the next one - whenever that may be! I actually learnt a lot about our history from it. It's nice when something is factual and still a drama.
Debs, the stress here currently in the states is real. It may not match the reality for many of us, but regardless it impacts our collective states of mind on a day-to-day basis.
DeleteRe: The Crown - I read that Princess Diana will be represented in Season Four, and that should be interesting!
Love reading your updates! We are happy the firefighters are making good progress, which means some displaced people are able to return home, the air quality is improved, & we are no longer on the watch list.
ReplyDeleteWe continue to slowly make progress on finishing our kitchen. It's usable, but until the cabinets are done, no unpacking the boxes, which makes finding anything on any given day a challenge. But, we're close!
Both boys are starting soccer in a socially distanced pod, and Sam has started training (alone) for the high school cross country season - should it ever happen. Both things are getting them out of the house, and increasing their exercise, which has been really needed. Love to see some small amount of normalcy come back, even though it's the "new normal".
This weekend would have been my family relay, and my family is getting together locally to run or walk together. I'm sad to miss it for the first time in a long time, but didn't want to risk anyone by traveling. I'll do a run of my own and think of all of the fun we've had along the way.
It's amazing the impact unhealthy air has on our quality of life, isn't it? And so doubly appreciated when it recedes and healthy air returns!
DeleteAh, both of my daughters were on the cross country team in high school, and I have soooo many wonderful memories of supporting their teams. The other kids on the team were great as well, which seems to be a common element of a non-glory sport like cross country. It resulted in both of my daughters becoming avid runners post-high school, continuing all the way up to today.
Enjoy your virtual family run . . . we all feel your pain, unfortunately. I have rolling bouts of what used-to-be, as do most of us I am sure. Holding onto hope as hard as I can that we will not be in this place forever.