Renovation Pics

Well, the renovation project was finally finished on Friday afternoon. We will NOT be using this contractor again, and we learned a few lessons about how to choose a contractor in the future. First of all, find out if the if person who comes to give you a bid is the person who will actually be doing the work. This was not the case for us this time, and I think we might have gotten a more realistic picture of how long it would take if the man who had come to do the bid had actually known how to lay tile, install a toilet, disconnect a faucet, and install a bathtub. Also, is it important to be home while the work is being done, and be observant about what is taking place throughout the day. I was a bit naive to think that a just because they said something was done that it was actually done. They told me that our smaller upstairs bathroom was ready to use again, but they knew that the faucet was broken, and didn't think it was important to tell me that. After that, we made sure that everything they had installed was in working order before they left our home for the day - - -like making sure the new toilets could flush without leaking and that the doors had been cut enough so that you could open and close the door with out is getting stuck on the rug.

Here are a few pics of the work along the way.

Half bath, sink and toilet removed

Bathroom upstairs, used to have wainscoting on the wall. I think the person who put the wainscoting in barely knew how to use a saw and a hammer. . .didn't look good.

Master bath, demo of old tub begun. I was little concerned about this hole in that wall that was left because they removed a step that used it be there, but it got patched up nicely.

Home Remodeling

This past week I have learned that home remodeling is not for the faint of heart.

Here's what we're having done:

• New ceramic tile and new baseboards in the laundry room, half bath, guest bath and master bath
• New jet tub in master bath

The work was supposed to be finished on Tuesday. There have been 2 guys coming, one of which is a very diligent, attentive worker - I'll call him Ralph here. The second guy - I'll call him Gus - is very unreliable. I have called the foreman everyday this week, except for yesterday, to complain about Gus' tardiness. Both guys are supposed to be here at 9 am to work. Monday, it was 10:45 before Gus showed up, and I think he was either drunk or suffering from a hang over. He did not apologize for being late. He broke one of my NEW faucets, and he could not hook my dryer up properly. He tried twice, and it still was not hooked up right when he left for the day - at 2 in the afternoon -after the foreman told me that he'd be here all day to work.

Yesterday, Ralph stayed here until 7:30 trying to get things caught up. This morning, Ralph shows up at 9 am with a young guy, 18ish? - I'll call him Austin - and tells me that Gus is coming too. At 9:30, I call the foreman to tell him that Gus is late - I have to leave a message though. Still no Gus at 10 am, so I call the foreman again. He answers the phone this time, and he tells me that Ralph is the best man he's got and that he and Austin should be able to get most everything done today. . ."Worst case scenario - they will have to come back on Friday to do come touch-up work." I say OK, even tough I have my doubts, because of everything that I knew had to be done today:

• finish laying tile around tub deck in master bath and grout tub deck
• grout the rest of the tile on wall in guest bath
• paint baseboard for master bath
• install baseboards in master bath
  
• install toilet in master bath
• dispose of old toilet in master bath
• fix broken faucet in guest bath
• properly hook-up dryer
• install jet tub in master bath
• work on "punch list" - a list we've been keeping of little things we see that need to be addressed - so far it is 11 items long

So here's where we are tonight. The only things on the list above that got done where: "finish laying tile around tub deck and grout tub deck", "fix broken faucet in guest bath," "properly install dryer," & "paint baseboards for master bath." The delay is due to Ralph having to re-route the plumbing in the master bath to accommodate the new tub. And Ralph accidentally punched an 8 inch hole in my ceiling while he was trying to grout the tile on the tub deck. Gus never showed up today, and has been fired from this job site. Ralph and Austin have a LOT more than touch-up work to do tomorrow.

Proof Rednecks aren't only in the South

This makes me laugh.

Motorized Bar Stool Crash

Easy Jambalaya

This is a rather simple recipe for Jambalaya. This is a dish that we've both tired to make, without much success, but I was surprised at how well this came out.

1 lb sausage (andouille if you are able to find it - you probably can't if you don't live in Louisiana)
-this is not breakfast sausage-
1/2 lb. shrimp (uncooked)
1 large white onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
4 teas. minced garlic
2 C. chicken broth
1 can original Rotel
a pinch of saffron threads
1/4 teas. salt
1/2 teas. pepper
1/2 teas. cayenne pepper
1 C. uncooked rice

Heat approx. 1 Tbs. olive oil in large sauce pan. Slice sausage and brown. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and saute. When the vegetables are soft, add chicken broth, Rotel, saffron, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bring to a simmer and add rice and shrimp. Place lid on pot and reduce heat, let simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

The City Museum

Last night, we went to the City Museum in St. Louis. We had a lot of fun, although it was a hassle getting there. I'm not really interested in going into the city on a Friday night again until I-64 is reopened. We will go on Saturdays when the traffic is not bad.

This is an albino turtle that they had in the aquarium.

A two story slide that you can go down. We both went.

There was a fish tank where you could get a "manicure" from a doctor fish. It felt strange. And I felt like I smelled like fish the rest of the night. James was a better sport about it than I was. It didn't hurt at all, but it was a little creepy.

A chambered nautilus. It was floating at the surface of the water, so the top half is just a reflection. This was the first time I had seen a live one.

Happy Mardi Gras!

We had a Mardi Gras party on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. We had a houseful of about 15 adults and 5 kids - mostly our neighbors and some friends from church. James made red beans and rice and gumbo, and I made spinach dip, crawfish dip, & coleslaw. We got two king cakes from a local bakery, and they were pretty good. Not as good as Ambrosia's in Baton Rouge, but good. We hoped to have homemade pralines, but I tried 3 times and James tired twice. We have successfully made them several times in the past, but we couldn't make it happen Saturday. All I ended up with was a bunch of burnt sugar and hot pecans. James got a batch that tasted OK, but they we not the right color at all. Pralines are supposed to be a light brown color, but these we the color of dark chocolate. I was afraid to serve them, so I threw them out. We didn't take many pictures at the party. James was busy bartending most of the night, and I was trying to make the rounds and make sure I got the chance to speak with everyone. So, here are some pictures of our decorations.

Front Door

Foyer

Foyer again. This picture is out of focus, but you get the idea.

Kitchen island

Fireplace

Dinning room

Kitchen table

Window Treatments

I finally got the window treatments for the dinning room an foyer finished. It's not that it took months and months to make them, there was just something else that took up my time. We had a party last Saturday for Mardi Gras. (Yes, we are homesick.) That was what prompted me to get them finished. The photo above is of the dinning room. There are two windows in there that are on the same wall and about 3 or 4 feet apart. There is a painting hanging in between them. I couldn't get a good pic of both windows. They have the same swag on them. I spent the better part of two days on these.

This photo is of a window in our foyer. This only took a couple of hours. James' mom gave me this fabric. It is an interesting oriental print. She used the same fabric, except with a black background to reupholster 2 love seats at her house.