Thursday, August 28, 2008
DJ Becomes a Cub Scout
Here are some photos of DJ being inducted into the pack. They paint his face as you can see. It was a fun time and DJ enjoyed it. There is some saying that goes with each color, but I don't know them. Perhaps Jennifer can update with the appropriate meanings.
DJ's Birthday Lunch
Posted by Lyman
Happy Birthday DJ! We now have an 8 year old living in our house!
We just finished DJ's birthday lunch. We went to...wait for it...Sweet Tomato's, of course. While in line plating our salads, the power went out. We were able to eat our food in silence (no elevator music playing). However, we did not have the variety regularly available since electricity is required for some of the items (i.e. to cook to pasta, to push the ice cream out of the machine). As we were about to leave, the power was restored. The remainder of the family stayed for ice cream. I walked back to work.
The staff also returned our credit card they left in the paper credit card machine. Nice, eh?
Happy Birthday DJ! We now have an 8 year old living in our house!
We just finished DJ's birthday lunch. We went to...wait for it...Sweet Tomato's, of course. While in line plating our salads, the power went out. We were able to eat our food in silence (no elevator music playing). However, we did not have the variety regularly available since electricity is required for some of the items (i.e. to cook to pasta, to push the ice cream out of the machine). As we were about to leave, the power was restored. The remainder of the family stayed for ice cream. I walked back to work.
The staff also returned our credit card they left in the paper credit card machine. Nice, eh?
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The master bath floor
Alternate title: What I (Lyman) did Wednesday Night (and Thursday morning, to be technical)
We decided we needed to remove the carpet from the master bathroom because it was growing mildew. Why anyone puts carpet in their bathroom is beyond me (and beyond the scope of this article). We are planning on changing the layout of the bathrooms so this is just a temporary floor. It only cost $30 for the squares, so I think it is worth it.
This is the first step in the prep for us to meet Jennifer's requirement that we be moved from the downstairs bedroom where we are staying to the master bedroom by March, when the baby is due.
Here's how it went:
8:00 Mandy was asleep, Gwen was reading books to William, DJ was playing with Adam (the back-yard neighbor), Jen & I left for Home Depot for the project, leaving Elyssa with the children.
Jen knew about sticky back linoleum squares from her mom, who used them to redo their bathroom in Spokane. They have sticky backs, and can be cut with a knife or scissors. Jen wanted to buy a pattern with lines and a flower in the middle, but I convinced her we should get a marble looking pattern. This turned out well in my opinion, especially given the fact that I had to do some patching of missed spots. More on that later.
9:00 We were back with the materials, pictured below. We also bought: a knife & a threshold.
I neglected to take a before picture. Sorry! Use your imagination. You can see the carpet color & pattern in the picture below.
By 9:15 I had removed the carpet & the pad. Unfortunately, there were a lot of staples plus the carpet tacs to remove. These had to all be removed in order to obtain a flat surface to stick the sticky-back squares of linoleum down.
I used pliers, a pry bar, a claw hammer, and a screwdriver. By 9:45 I had removed some staples, and started the carpet tacs. It was not easy work because I had to either kneel or squat. I don't have any knee pads, but they sound like a good investment about now.
Below is a picture of the slightly water damaged floor near the shower. The carpet tacs pictured were badly water damaged and fell apart. I didn't need the pry bar for these.
Below is a picture of damage to the wall near the shower. The moulding appears to have been set in place, not attached, since it came right off and had no nails in it.
I had to use the pry bar to get under the sink area and near the toilet in order to lift the carpet tacs. After using my claw hammer to tap the pry bar under them for a while, I decided to try to find a rubber hammer. By this time is was 10:45. I could not find a rubber hammer, but I found I could place my knee between the hammer and pry bar and this would prevent my getting a metal shard in my eye. Yep, that's another tool I need: a rubber hammer.
11:00 The fasteners were all gone now except for around the toilet area. I needed a short break...had been kneeling/squatting too long. A quick check of the solar activity report revealed no sunspot seen today (Thursday in most of the world). That's 31 straight days and counting. Another week of this and we'll hit a top 20 for the longest spotless streak (since 1849). (At publication on Mon. the 25th, we are now up to 35 days, tying for the 21st longest streak of spotless days since 1849.)
http://www.dxlc.com/solar/index.html
http://users.telenet.be/j.janssens/Spotless/Spotless.html
I got back to work and had all the carpet tacs and staples removed by 11:58. Whew. Then I sanded what appeared to be drywall joint compound on the floor around the toilet area. It was quite bumpy and would have prevented the squares from seating properly. Then I swept and vacuumed the floor, pictured below.
I started by placing a square tight against the wall on the left in the pictures and against the shower. I proceeded down the wall, requiring me to cut out portions of two of the squares so that the vent was not covered. After I had a part of the wall done, I started the next row.
I proceeded with most of two rows, then did the toilet area. This required me to cut out part of the squares using scissors. I'm not really good at matching the shape, but since it's just a temporary floor, I'm not too concerned. In a couple of spots, I cut off too much and had to use a scrap piece to fill in the area where the sub floor was showing. This is where the handy marble pattern came in to play, because it doesn't show the mistakes unless you look hard. The flower pattern would not have been so forgiving.
After finishing the toilet area, I proceeded to finish the remaining portion that required only straight cuts. It took a while to finish, and Jen woke up and came upstairs to see the progress. I finished at 2:50. I say "finished", but it's not actually done. I haven't yet installed the threshold.
The moulding is now an inch or two off the floor and doesn't look right. Another problem that remains is the hole in the wall that appears to be caused by water damage. However, the floor is now in and usable.
Here are all the tools I used for the project. The level was used as a straight edge for cutting the linoleum.
Today Jen told me she wants to just get a new toilet and cabinet/sink. That way we don't have to redo two bathrooms before March. We definitely have to remove this old carpet from the master bedroom area. It is worn out. We have some decisions to make.
Doesn't the new floor look great?
We decided we needed to remove the carpet from the master bathroom because it was growing mildew. Why anyone puts carpet in their bathroom is beyond me (and beyond the scope of this article). We are planning on changing the layout of the bathrooms so this is just a temporary floor. It only cost $30 for the squares, so I think it is worth it.
This is the first step in the prep for us to meet Jennifer's requirement that we be moved from the downstairs bedroom where we are staying to the master bedroom by March, when the baby is due.
Here's how it went:
8:00 Mandy was asleep, Gwen was reading books to William, DJ was playing with Adam (the back-yard neighbor), Jen & I left for Home Depot for the project, leaving Elyssa with the children.
Jen knew about sticky back linoleum squares from her mom, who used them to redo their bathroom in Spokane. They have sticky backs, and can be cut with a knife or scissors. Jen wanted to buy a pattern with lines and a flower in the middle, but I convinced her we should get a marble looking pattern. This turned out well in my opinion, especially given the fact that I had to do some patching of missed spots. More on that later.
9:00 We were back with the materials, pictured below. We also bought: a knife & a threshold.
I neglected to take a before picture. Sorry! Use your imagination. You can see the carpet color & pattern in the picture below.
By 9:15 I had removed the carpet & the pad. Unfortunately, there were a lot of staples plus the carpet tacs to remove. These had to all be removed in order to obtain a flat surface to stick the sticky-back squares of linoleum down.
I used pliers, a pry bar, a claw hammer, and a screwdriver. By 9:45 I had removed some staples, and started the carpet tacs. It was not easy work because I had to either kneel or squat. I don't have any knee pads, but they sound like a good investment about now.
Below is a picture of the slightly water damaged floor near the shower. The carpet tacs pictured were badly water damaged and fell apart. I didn't need the pry bar for these.
Below is a picture of damage to the wall near the shower. The moulding appears to have been set in place, not attached, since it came right off and had no nails in it.
I had to use the pry bar to get under the sink area and near the toilet in order to lift the carpet tacs. After using my claw hammer to tap the pry bar under them for a while, I decided to try to find a rubber hammer. By this time is was 10:45. I could not find a rubber hammer, but I found I could place my knee between the hammer and pry bar and this would prevent my getting a metal shard in my eye. Yep, that's another tool I need: a rubber hammer.
11:00 The fasteners were all gone now except for around the toilet area. I needed a short break...had been kneeling/squatting too long. A quick check of the solar activity report revealed no sunspot seen today (Thursday in most of the world). That's 31 straight days and counting. Another week of this and we'll hit a top 20 for the longest spotless streak (since 1849). (At publication on Mon. the 25th, we are now up to 35 days, tying for the 21st longest streak of spotless days since 1849.)
http://www.dxlc.com/solar/index.html
http://users.telenet.be/j.janssens/Spotless/Spotless.html
I got back to work and had all the carpet tacs and staples removed by 11:58. Whew. Then I sanded what appeared to be drywall joint compound on the floor around the toilet area. It was quite bumpy and would have prevented the squares from seating properly. Then I swept and vacuumed the floor, pictured below.
I started by placing a square tight against the wall on the left in the pictures and against the shower. I proceeded down the wall, requiring me to cut out portions of two of the squares so that the vent was not covered. After I had a part of the wall done, I started the next row.
I proceeded with most of two rows, then did the toilet area. This required me to cut out part of the squares using scissors. I'm not really good at matching the shape, but since it's just a temporary floor, I'm not too concerned. In a couple of spots, I cut off too much and had to use a scrap piece to fill in the area where the sub floor was showing. This is where the handy marble pattern came in to play, because it doesn't show the mistakes unless you look hard. The flower pattern would not have been so forgiving.
After finishing the toilet area, I proceeded to finish the remaining portion that required only straight cuts. It took a while to finish, and Jen woke up and came upstairs to see the progress. I finished at 2:50. I say "finished", but it's not actually done. I haven't yet installed the threshold.
The moulding is now an inch or two off the floor and doesn't look right. Another problem that remains is the hole in the wall that appears to be caused by water damage. However, the floor is now in and usable.
Here are all the tools I used for the project. The level was used as a straight edge for cutting the linoleum.
Today Jen told me she wants to just get a new toilet and cabinet/sink. That way we don't have to redo two bathrooms before March. We definitely have to remove this old carpet from the master bedroom area. It is worn out. We have some decisions to make.
Doesn't the new floor look great?
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
News Flash
Since word is spreading like wildfire, and I'd hate for you to be the last to know...
We are expecting baby #5 around March 18th! We are very excited. Thrilled, even. Except I could really do without the pregnancy nausea for once. Wishful thinking, I guess.
A few weeks ago we went hiking near Bald Mountain in the Uintahs. We had great plans to do lots of hiking this summer, yet to be realized. We are still hoping to take DJ on a hike of said Bald Mountain sometime this month.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Amanda Walking
Amanda followed in her sister's footsteps, literally, by choosing not to walk until past 13 months old. She's still not a full-time walker, but we're sure that's soon to come.
DJ went out with Lyman on Friday for some Father-Son time. They played miniature golf and had a blast! He can't wait for Lyman to take him fishing now.
William's news is he packed the treats for Church all by himself today, on his own initiative, even. I guess he was hungry.
Gwen's news is she has a new favorite book series. It's Amanda and Oliver Pig. She has developed quite a fondness for trampolines lately. Maybe we'll see one in our yard someday soon.
DJ went out with Lyman on Friday for some Father-Son time. They played miniature golf and had a blast! He can't wait for Lyman to take him fishing now.Jennifer's news is she's now the Den Leader for Wolves and Bears Cub Scouts. In our pack, that's only one boy right now. DJ will make two next month.
Lyman's news is he finished the Orson Scott Card Ender series and is now reading The Last Jihad.
Keep checking for more updates on our recent trips and other exciting news flashes!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Happy Father's Day!
One of the biggest issues to work out in a marriage is learning what your spouse expects and trying to live up to said expectations. I am happy to say Lyman and I are making great strides in this area. He knows when my birthday and Mother's Day are approaching to ask me what I want for gifts, if I want breakfast in bed, etc. I don't have outlandish requests, so I usually get what I ask for. This arrangement works great on the flipside as well.
A few days ago I asked Lyman what he wanted for Father's Day, what his expectation were. He said, "I don't know, nothing really." So I got away with making breakfast a little fancier - french toast with strawberry sauce AND powdered sugar - and an unwrapped CD from one of his favorite bands (Collective Soul). I did buy a couple of Father's Day cards, one from me, one from the kids, but they aren't signed yet. I also made him a yummy chocolate banana shake tonight. (Actually, I made it for me, but since it was 5+ cups of shake, I decided to share rather than save half of it for later.)
Just so there is no doubt, I want the world (or at least those that read this blog) to know that I love my husband dearly. I get such a kick out of watching him interact with our children. His methods are so different than mine. I admire his patience and gentleness. I love the little songs he makes up for the kids. They each have their own. Besides all that, he is intelligent, funny, and usually willing to follow all the directions I give him. I knew I had a winner when, before we were married, I told him I wanted 12 children and he was okay with that. I have the best Father for my children that I could ever hope for!!!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Amanda's Birthday
Yes, our baby is a year old now. She had a bunch of cousins visiting for the week of her birthday, lucky girl! It was a small, family party, with lots of balloons and this tough to blow out candle.
She loved being sung to, and it happened about five times that evening. She loved her presents - a box of tissues, a brush and comb set, a purple soccer ball. And some pretty princess shoes she picked out for herself.
Happy Birthday, little princess! We sure love you!
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