February 20th through February 25th

February 20^th through February 25^th:  Thursday,

I got up early and went and got the second coat of paint on the walls.  I was hoping that it would be dry by the time the plumber showed up, so they were there first thing.  They got the toilet set, vanity faucet and drain, and the trim on the shower all done by 10:00am.  They only messed up one wall by the toilet that I will have to repaint.

  

Shower trim.



 

Toilet set, Check.

I got the light fixture, mirror, new towel bars, the vent on the ceiling and trim on the can light installed.  I also got the casing and jam and door painted with 2 coats of paint and reinstalled the door with new hardware.  After getting the door installed I realized that with the new paint it did not fit.  It was too tight.  So tomorrow I will have to trim it a little.

  

New towel bar.



But the really big news for the day was that Charlotte and Alex left when I was leaving to go to the hospital and have her baby.  A couple of weeks ago they found out she had some mild preeclampsia and that they didn’t want her to go over 38 weeks. So they had it planned to induce her today.  She delivered late afternoon and Chris picked me up with all the kids and we bought Café Rio dinner and took it out to the hospital with her 3 boys.  She is a cutie and we are so glad she is here safe and sound and that mom and baby are doing well.  We stayed a couple of hours and then brought the boys home.

 

Meet Tilda Beth McBean.



She is about 2 hours old here.





Nana getting her turn with Tilda Beth.



Charlotte looks great for having just delivered a baby.  Don't you think?



Everyone is happy Tilda is here.

Friday,

Mom had a job at East High and so I was responsible for Luke.  The other two boys were in school.  I took Luke over to Jill’s so he could play with his cousin, Jake, and so that I could work on the bathroom.  I cut the door down and got it reinstalled and painted the edge I had trimmed.  John had gotten home last night and had stood in front of the mirror and said , “This will not work.”  He could only see the bottom half of his face.  So I had to buy and install a different light fixture and then move the mirror up about 5 inches, which meant that now I had holes to patch where the mirror had been.

  

See the holes that now have to be patched.



By the time I got all this done I had to go to work.  After work we took the boys to the Blue and Gold banquet.  Evan got an award and we did not have to cook.  It was great.

  

Evan receiving his award.



Saturday, I had the early shift, 5:00am to 1:00pm.  My new grand daughter was home when I got off work.  Her name is Tilda Beth.   My mother’s name was Elizabeth.  I went over to John’s and patched the wall again.  Chris and I took the 3 boys to the ward dinner and talent night.  They had a good time running around playing in the halls.  Someone called 911 and we had a visit from the police department.  I wonder whose talent that was?  Sunday, was church and a great pot roast dinner and then to work.  Monday, I went over to John’s house early and painted the wall under the mirror and loaded up all my tools.  Tomorrow I will start installing the casing and base at our friend’s home on the avenues.  John’s bathroom is 99% finished.  He is going to make me a punch list of all the things they need fixed around the house so I will be back there at some point.  I then had to go to work from 10:00am till 6:00pm.  I was ready for bed early.  Alex and Charlotte asked if I would take Tilly from 5:00am till 7:00am so they could get a couple of uninterrupted hours of sleep.  So tomorrow I start.  Tuesday, I got up and took care of my sweet little granddaughter, because she was early she is tiny she weighed 7lbs 1oz when she was born.  For Charlotte that is a tiny baby.  But so fun to hold her and snuggle.  Then I was off to the Avenues.  I got most of the upstairs door casings torn off and reinstalled.  Midday I took a break to get lunch and go to Home Depot for a few things I needed and to go to the dentist.  I have a loose tooth.  It turns out I need a little surgery to fix an old root canal that has gone bad.  I went back to work and puttied all the casings I had installed and finished up about 6:00pm.  I had a couple of doors that were close to corners and needed to have the casing ripped in order to fit.  So I went to John’s on the way home and ripped the casing so I can finish those doors tomorrow.  We are about 2 and a half months away from leaving for Oaxaca.  I still have a lot of work to do, but should be able to get it all done.

February 12th through February 19th

February 12^th through February 19^th:  Wednesday, I went to work at Home Depot and got off at 2:30pm.  Then I painted the bathroom walls at John’s house.  Thursday, Chris and I went to the temple in the morning.  In the afternoon, I tried to install the light fixture only to figure out that it was too big.  So I went into Salt Lake and exchanged it for a smaller one.  While I was in Salt Lake I went up to Blake and Michelle Rigby’s home in the neighborhood where we used to live.  They had called a few days ago and asked if I was interested in replacing all the baseboard and casing in their house.  I went up to see what they wanted to do.  I measured their house and told them I would get them a number in the next day or two.  I went back to John’s house and installed the light fixture above where the sink will be.  Then I started to install the new mirror and medicine cabinet.  The new vanity is 36 inches tall and the new mirror is also too big to fit between the top of the faucet and the bottom of the light fixture.  When John got home it was decided that I would move the electrical box up about 6 inches to just below the ceiling so that everything will fit.  Friday was Valentines day and I taped some Valentines around our room.  Chris was sufficiently impressed. I moved the box and patched the sheetrock and got a coat of mud on the patch. 

The electrical box moved and the sheet rock patched.

Then I went to work at my real job.  I got off at 6:00pm.  Saturday, I got up early and got another coat of mud on the patch and then went to work.  After work I went back and got another coat of mud on the wall where I had moved the electrical box.  Then we went to dinner at the home of DeVon and Diane Hale.  We have been friends since our girls played basketball and volleyball together.  We love to hear about DeVon’s work in Africa and China.  He has arranged for student exchanges with the University of Utah’s medical school.  He will retire this year and is hoping to teach in a medical school in Kenya.  Diane made some great Chinese food and we played dominos and talked and laughed way past my bedtime.  Sunday was a really busy day.  We taught our Sunday school class and then went to the missionary report of Lynn and Diana Crayk.  We served with them in Bolivia.  They did a great job and had everyone laughing and crying.  We went over to their home after for a bite to eat.  The Winkfield’s came down from Layton and I got a nice picture of the four couples that served together in Bolivia in the temple. 

L to R  Me, Chris, Ken Winkfield, Eve Winkfield, Connie Crayk, Lee Crayk, Diana Crayk and Lynn Crayk.

We then headed to a family dinner at James and Kirstin’s home.  John and Jill were in St. George for the long weekend, but the rest of us were all there.  It is really great to be together and share what has been going on in our lives.  We also celebrated Alex’s birthday.  We have a ton of Feb. birthdays in our family. 

L to R  Charlotte, Kate, and Kirstin

Alex and his cake.

L to R  Emme, Chris and Abby

Emme and Rigby

We left early to go and meet John and Carol Galbraith.  John and Carol were in China with us the first year we were there.  They were called from China to be the first Temple President and Matron of the Kiev, Ukraine temple.  They were in town for the marriage of a grandson.  John got to officiate.  We met them at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake, where John and Carol were to be the speakers at a fireside in the chapel.  It was so fun to catch up with them and hear about their adventures in the Ukraine.  We stayed for the fireside and got home late. 

At the Fireside, Me Chris, Carol and John Galbraith.

It was a long day and reminded me of the mission field.  Can’t wait to leave.  Monday, I got another coat of mud on the wall and then grouted the rest of the shower.  

The shower grouted.

Shower grouted.

I got the go ahead for the Rigby’s trim, so I got all the materials delivered.  I ended the day with another coat of mud.  Tuesday, I installed the vanity and had to install a back splash because the wall was out of square.  That meant I had to rent the tile saw for the 4^th time.  I got all the tile cut and installed for the backsplash. 

The Back Splash installed.

I also got the casing installed on the bathroom side of the door. Mom had a substituting job at Edison for a second grade class.  Wednesday, Chris took me to work at 4:30am because she had a job at West High.  She got done early and picked me up at 1:30pm and I changed clothes and went to work at the never ending bathroom.  I got the tile backsplash grouted and I repainted the walls.  John and Jill decided to change the color.  I also got all the tile except the backsplash sealed.  The plumber is coming tomorrow and I think we will be ready this time.

The walls repainted.

The back splash grouted.

February 5th through February 11th

February 5^th through February 11^th:  Wednesday it became official, our mission starting date has been changed.  We enter the Salt Lake Temple for training on May 12^th instead of the original June 16^th.  We received an email with the new change of assignment.  We are excited to start and leaving in May is great news.  It will get us home in the middle of November, instead of just before Christmas.  Chris and I went to the temple Wednesday morning and then had lunch together and then I had to go to work. Thursday, I rented the tile saw again and got the bottom row of tiles set in the shower and all of the tiles cut for the floor outside of the shower. Mom substituted second grade at Uintah Elementary.  I picked her up after school and then worked for another hour on the floor.  I then got cleaned up a bit and we met Wally and Martha Cooper for dinner at Crown Burger.  After dinner and a good chat we all went to a lecture at the Leonardo Museum on Melchizedek and the Dead Sea Scrolls.  I even stayed awake for most of it.  After the lecture I went back to John’s house and mixed up thin set and set all the tiles for the floor.  I got to bed about 10:30pm.  If I had not of gotten the floor down, I would have lost a day. 

The shower floor is just sitting there it is not installed.

The ceiling on a diagonal.

Friday:  I had problems with the tile saw and took it back.  They changed out the blade and then it worked fine.  I cut the tiles for the base board and got them set.  I also got all the tiles cut and set for the shower floor.  The little pieces around the drain took forever to cut.

The baseboards and shower floor.

The baseboards and shower floor.

Chris substituted second grade at Jackson Elementary again.  In the evening, Chris went and tended at James’ house.  Kirstin, James’ wife, had a surprise birthday party for him at a bowling alley.  I went and tended John and Jill’s kids so they could go to the party.  Saturday, Chris and I went and had breakfast at Betos.  I love their breakfast burritos and I get to practice my Spanish.  She then dropped me off for work.  After work we went shopping and I found a new pair of shoes at Nordstrom Rack.  We then went home and we worked on our Sunday school lesson.  Sunday, I had to work from noon to 7:30pm.  So after the sacrament I had to leave and get changed and go to work.  Monday, Chris substituted at Meadowlark Elementary for the resource teacher.  After dropping her off, I went to work.  She called me as I was getting off at 1:00pm and said she was done.  The teacher had 2 prep periods at the end of the day so she was done early.  We went and had lunch at La Fonterra, my favorite Mexican restaurant.  It was the first time that we have eaten there since being home.  It was just like I remembered it, delicious.  I am looking forward to good Mexican food.  We then went shopping; you would think we were going on a trip or something with all the shopping we are doing.  We then went and saw Monuments Men.  It got bad reviews, but we liked it.  After family home evening, I played the game where all the kids try and climb the stairs and I pull them down.  When our children were little we played this game and the game always ended with one of the kids crying.  But I was not as rough with Charlotte’s kids and they loved it and no one got hurt.  Charlotte posted a picture of us and all my other kids commented about their memories of this game. 

"Try and climb the stairs" Game

Tuesday, I went to work at 5:00am, but only had to work till 9:00am.  Chris picked me up and then I worked on the tile.  I redid the shower floor.  I needed to get the drain to twist lower to be just below the tiles, but I could not get it to twist so I did the next best thing, I added another layer of tile.  It now is the perfect height.  I also got the bathroom floor and baseboards grouted.  Chris had a half day of substituting.  We went home teaching in the evening.

January 30th through February 4th

January 30^th through February 4^th:  Thursday, I was able to get the cement board installed in the shower.  It took me all day.

Hardiboard installed.

Mom was back at East High teaching language arts—Julius Caesar.  Then we tended Rigby and Emme while James and Kirstin went out to dinner to celebrate James’ birthday.  Our baby is 30 years old! 

Tending Rigby at John's house.

Tending Emme at John's house with the help of Ellie.

Friday, I worked from 5:00am till 11:30am and then Jill picked me up and I worked on the bathroom the rest of the day.  I got the mudding done on the sheet rock and installed a few tiles in the shower.  I didn’t rent a tile saw and decided I had better wait till I have one. 

The tiles I installed before I decided I needed the tile saw.

Mom taught health at a middle school.  She said it wasn’t as much fun as Julius Caesar.  That evening we went to dinner at the home of Henry and Jeanne Lachowski.  We met them in Bolivia.  They came to the temple one day to photograph the gardens and I struck up a conversation with them. They were in Cochabamba studying Spanish and doing volunteer work with a Catholic charity.  We learned that they lived just a few streets away from our home on the Avenues.  They are amazing people who travel the world doing volunteer work.  They just got back from Tanzania.  We enjoyed visiting with them.   Saturday, I worked all day at Home Depot and mom had a great visit with her best friend, Merritt.  Then she spent the afternoon with Katie’s kids.  Sunday, they had us sit on the stand and then we got to announce our mission call to everyone in Sacrament meeting.  I, of course, blubbered it out.  Mom bore her testimony and did a great job.  We sent an email to the travel department and indicated that we wanted to know if it were possible to get our visas sooner because President Atkinson wanted us to arrive in Oaxaca the last of April or the first of May.  Monday, we got a reply back from the travel department indicating that they thought it would be possible to get a visa by then but that I should call the missionary department and talk to them.  So I called and they said that I needed to talk to the temple department.  They gave me a number and I called and talked to the Senior Missionary in charge, who indicated that he had received an email from Pres. Atkinson and that the group for April was too big, but that they would try and get us in the May group and to expect an email or something that changed the start date for our mission.  Hurray!  We might be leaving a month early.   I tried to rent a tile saw, but they were all out.   So I put a primer coat on the walls and textured the ceiling where I had to patch it, getting the can light in.

Trying to match a textured ceiling and not knowing exactly how they did it.

Primed walls always show a few needed touch ups.

Then I worked on Jill’s list of things she needed fixed upstairs, fixed a couple of cabinet doors, tightened up her kitchen chairs, repaired the front door, and installed a latch to keep one or their cabinet doors shut in the hall. Then she dropped me off at work.  Mom was back at Horizonte teaching English as a Second Language.  She loves going there and working with the adults from many different countries.  Tuesday, first thing, 6:00am, I went and returned the hardiboard I had not used.  Mom dropped me off at John’s and she was off to Jackson Elementary to teach second graders in the Spanish immersion program.  I went in Jill’s car and rented the tile saw.  I worked all day setting tile.  The tile saw was set up outside, by their back door.  It snowed the night before and it was quite a bit colder.  As the day went on, there were icicles hanging from the tile saw.  I had to run up the stairs every time I had to use the saw. By 6:00pm, when I finished the shower, the saw was frozen and would not slide on the rails.  I had to get buckets of hot water and melt the ice so I could clean the tile saw.  I will take it back first thing on Wednesday.  My knees had had it from climbing the stairs hundreds of times.  I had a bad sore throat and felt exhausted.  Mom picked me up at 6:30 pm, just as I finished cleaning the saw.

All that is left to install is the floor and one row of tiles at the bottom.

The new shower.

We stopped and got some throat lozenges.  I went home and took a long hot shower and mom warmed up the taco soup that Charlotte had made.  After dinner I went to bed.  I was asleep by 8:00pm and didn’t wake up until 5:00am.  So here I am blogging in the early morning hours.