February 18th through February 24th

February 18^th through February 24^th: Monday was a big day where we saw lots of progress on the apartment.  I grouted the tile in the bathroom.  The carpet we ordered for the bedroom was delivered and installed.  The dishwasher, refrigerator, stove and washer and dryer were delivered.  The delivery guys were supposed to install the washer and dryer, but said they could not install the dryer because they did not deliver the feet for the dryer so they could be stacked.  Home Depot had given me the new feet and told me to give them to the delivery guys.  Well they said if we don’t deliver them we don’t install them.  They did install the gas stove.  That left me with the installation of the microwave above the stove, the dishwasher, the refrigerator, and the dryer.  Tuesday I got the backsplash grouted in the kitchen and the microwave installed.  John B. helped me get the doors re-installed in the bedroom.  I got the hardware installed on the doors also.  I got the backsplash on the desk cut, polished and installed.  

Carpet installed and closet doors reinstalled.

Stove and microwave installed.

Wednesday the plumbers came and installed the toilet in our bath. They also installed the shower fixtures, the sink in the bath, the sink in the kitchen, the dishwasher and disposal, the water line to the refrigerator, and they helped me get the dryer installed.  I installed the smoke and carbon dioxide detectors.  I got the closet under the stairs painted and baseboard installed.  It is the nicest closet I have ever seen.  Mom drove John B. and Jill to the airport.  They are headed to Italy for a 10 day vacation.  We are now officially on grandparent duty.  That really means we are now a taxi service and cooks for 2 teenagers and 2 almost teenagers.  Mom went to one of Ellie's basketball games and we both went to Luke's game and then we went to Charlotte’s home for cake and ice cream to celebrate Tilly’s birthday.  She turned 5. 

Ellie # 6 at her young women's basketball game.

Luke in the green shirt at his rec. center basketball game.

Tilly ready to blow out her candles. 

New washer and dryer installed and working.

The under the stairs closet.

Thursday the inspector came and we passed except that one of the smoke detectors was not working in series with the other two.  He said we can move in and he will come back when I get Badger’s bedroom done and reinspect the detectors.  He thought the communication wire was loose or that the detector was bad.  I spent the rest of the day getting our bed and clothes moved from Badger’s bedroom to our new bedroom.  While the inspector was here I looked up our building permit and it was issued on November 20^th.  He gave us the go ahead to move in on the 21^st of February.  That is 3 months and one day of construction.  I got our 4 grandchildren to go to the storage unit and we brought a load back to the apartment.  They have been out of school all week for a long break.  We slept in our new apartment.  

Moose after our trip to the storage unit. It was really cold.

The bed is installed.  I had to paint the headboard.

Friday morning we unpacked boxes of kitchen stuff and tried to get everything washed and put away.  We washed and dried our clothes that were covered in construction dust.  Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust. The dishwasher works and we did many loads of dishes.  

I also installed shelves above the toilet.

Shower works great.

Saturday was much of the same.  We did get another load from the storage unit and now we have a big mess of boxes and furniture to unpack and put away.  We went to the water polo dinner for the start of water polo session.  Badger and Moose both were in lip- sinking skits.  It was pretty funny.  

Saturday we had a visit from our youngest grandchild.  Campbell climbed into one of our kitchen cabinets and found a nice place to take a nap.  He is a real character.

Badger is one of the guys in the back.

Moose is the one with no shirt on.

This is all the kids that were in the skits.

After the second load from the storage unit.

Unpacking is messy.

Saturday I picked up 497 boxes of girl scout cookies. They are now ready for Ellie to deliver to the people she sold the cookies to.

Sunday we went to church and then went to dinner at Judy Lever’s home.  She is the other grandmother to John B. and Jill’s kids.  It was nice to have a break from cooking for the 4 always hungry kids.  We are so happy to be moving into our apartment, but we realize that we still have a lot of work to do to get settled and moved in.   Maybe in a few more weeks we will feel settled.  But we do feel lucky and blessed that we are coming to an end of this project. 

February 11th through February 17th

February 11^th through February 17^th: Monday I installed the backsplash in the kitchen and Mom went to work. In the evening, we went to the Family Home Evening for the "empty nesters" in the ward.  Mom and I talked about our experiences in Guatemala.  We showed pictures from our blog and took some of the pillow cases we had made from huipiles.  It made us quite homesick for Guatemala and the many people we came to love and admire.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening.  

The backsplash is carrera marble in a basket weave pattern.

Tuesday I started the vinyl plank flooring. Mom went to work. 

Starting the vinyl flooring.

Wednesday I finished the flooring.  Mom spent the day cleaning and doing some touch up painting.  

Some of the pieces of flooring got a little complicated.

Thursday we went and bought the butcher block counter top for the island in the kitchen.  We got the medicine chest and sink installed in the bath.  We also got the base shoe painted.  We drove to James’ house and delivered balloons to the grandkids for Valentine’s Day.  In the evening, we had a nice candle light dinner with John’s family. 

I did not forget Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day dinner.

Sink and medicine chest installed.

Friday I got the base shoe installed and baseboards installed under the stairs.  We took a break in the afternoon and went and watched our grandson, Moose, at his swim meet.  

Moose is the second one from the right.

Moose is in lane 6.

Base shoe installed.

The island top is teak.

Doors installed and base shoe finished.

Saturday the temple was closed for maintenance and we spent the whole day getting punch list items done.  We installed all the hardware on the cabinets.  John and Alex made a trip to the dump for us.  

Cabinet hardware installed.

Butcher block installed and cabinet hardware finished.

Bedroom is now ready for carpet.

Sunday we had a nice time at our meetings and in the afternoon we all gathered at Kate’s home for our monthly dinner.  It is always a great time when we are all together.  

Part of the family after Sunday dinner.

We made a lot of progress on the apartment and we are ready for the appliances and carpet that will come on Monday.

February 4th through February 10th

February 4^th through February 10^th: Monday I got the airless paint sprayer set up and primed the wainscoting.  Then I worked on painting the moldings in the hall while I waited for the wainscoting to dry.  I got the first coat of white paint on the wainscoting in the afternoon.  

The wainscoting is now primed.

1st coat of the white paint is now on the moldings.

Tuesday John got up early and helped me get all the doors set up so I can get them sprayed.  I got a first coat on the doors and a second coat on the wainscoting in the morning.  In the afternoon I got a second coat of paint on the doors.  

The doors got their first coat of paint and the wainscoting got a second coat.

Painting moldings is my favorite early morning project.  I can't make noise until 7:00 am.

Wednesday I got the walls painted in the kitchen/dinning/TV rooms and I got half the drawers made and most of the doors installed on the kitchen cabinets.  Mom got the painting done on the moldings in the hall and bathroom.  

The kitchen is coming together.

I started hanging the doors on the cabinets.

The walls are now painted.  The color is a very subtle grey.

Thursday I got the walls painted in the hall and the rest of the drawers built.  There are a total of 31 drawers and rollouts in the cabinets.  

The hall is painted and the quartz countertop is installed.

Friday I got the walls painted and the vanity installed in the bathroom.  John B got a second coat of paint on the moldings in the bedroom.  

The bathroom is now painted.

Saturday morning I got a first coat of paint on the walls in the bedroom and then Mom gave me a haircut and we got ready and went to our temple shift.  We had a nice day in the temple.  

The bedroom only needs one more coat of paint on the walls.

Sunday we went to church and mom and I made Sunday dinner for John and Jill’s family.  We are nearing the end of this project and we are working hard to get everything done before the appliances come a week from tomorrow, Monday the 18^th.    We just need to hang in there for a few more weeks and then we will start moving in.  We feel so blessed and can’t wait to have a little more room.  It will be a lot of work just going through everything we have in storage, but it will be fun to have our own space. 

anuary 28th through February 3rd

January 28^th through February 3^rd:  Monday I laid the floor tiles in the shower and the tile for the floor in the bathroom and where the washer goes.  

Shower floor installed.

Bathroom floor installed.

Washer pan installed.

Tuesday I grouted the shower floor and worked on putting “Bondo” on the joints in the wainscoting. 

Pano of the apartment.

Wednesday I finished all the shower tiles on the edges and grouted the bathroom floor and the washer area.  

Shower trim pieces installed.and floor grouted.

Washer pan grouted.

Thursday Mom met Kirstin and Campbell at the Children’s Discovery Museum and spent the morning enjoying our youngest grandchild.  I built an A frame for the truck and went and picked up the prefabricated quartz slabs for the kitchen counter top.  Each morning, John B. has been helping for an hour to an hour and a half at 5:00 am and has almost finished the caulking.  

Early morning hours and I still have a smile on my face.  

Campbell fishing.

Campbell inherited the construction gene.

Friday I installed the vanity in the bath and installed the moldings around the door and the base boards in the bathroom.  I got one of the quartz prefabricated slabs cut for length and cut out for the sink.  I finished this in the dark on the back patio because I had to have Moose hold the hose and run water on the blade to keep it cool.  

Bathroom vanity and moldings installed and floor grouted.

First piece of quartz counter cut ready to install.

Saturday I got up and got the counter top I cut last night installed.  The sink fits.  I got the second top cut for the desk opposite the washer and dryer.  

The sink fits--hurray!

We then went to our temple shift. I did my first sealings in Spanish and had another live sealing.  It was a good shift.   Then we went straight to James’ house to tend their kids for the night.  James’ birthday is Sunday and he took Kirstin to stay overnight in Salt Lake City.  Sunday we went to church with James and his family and then drove back to Salt Lake and went to dinner at Charlotte’s house.  What a week.  We stayed very busy, what with mom working Monday and Tuesday and then helping me get things cleaned and ready for paint.  I am trying to get everything done that needs the table saw or the chop saw, so I can put them out on the patio and keep the floor clean and the dust to a minimum.   I want to use the airless paint sprayer and not have too much dust getting into the wet paint.