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Key West Florida










After my trip to Florida, it seemed like there was no time to get to blogging.
I did get a chance to read a few blogs here and there but I didn't have time to post any new things.
I began to feel guilty. Then I read a blog that said, "it is OK not to blog all the time"
Whewwww!
The guilt left me and I began to focus on all the other thing going on in my life
and realized I had to set some priorities.

The holidays were here and gone in a flash. The stress is over and it seems like every
January we get the remodel bug here at the house.
It was no different this year. Except for Dave's bright idea......
"Let's do Mom's breezeway floor in ceramic tile as her Christmas present."

For those of you that don't know what a breezeway is, it is a "room" that separates the main house from the garage area, mostly found in older ranch homes. They vary in size and functionality depending on their structure. Some are no more than a screened in porch while others are actually part of the house and are considered a room.
Mother in law's breezeway is a room. Actually an area to deposit all my father in law's junk!! YUCK!
Well it took 3 days to remove all the junk and things my FIL had acquired, then the old tile had to removed and the floor area prepped. Ceiling tiles were removed and stored, and "things were removed from the walls. Remember, I said we were going to do ceramic tile on the floor.....except now the whole room had to be done and everything had to be color coordinated.

So that meant shopping for paint, and fixing and painting the walls. My DIL Tiffany, bless her heart, was super and helped me wash and paint walls, in two colors. On January 1st, Dave, Adam, (one of our friends) and I began the process of laying tile. My brother Frank, who is in the floor covering profession, came to lend his expertise and layout suggestions.
It took two days to lay the tile and 2 days to grout the tile. I was working carefully and slowly because my knees and my shoulders were subject to injury if wasn't careful.

On Friday I will go and finish sealing the grout, and finish the base board trim.


OH did I mention that Dave figured we could do it for about $300.00.....guess again. MIL has different tastes than my husband and she didn't choose the 77 cent tile, no it was the $2.77 tile!
I think with everything, the floor is closer to $1000.00, with our free labor!





I does look good though!






But did I forget to mention that I had already started my remodel project on December 25th!
I decided to paint the living room with a faux finish! Thank goodness for Shannon at the Home Depot! She was a life saver to a novice faux painter. I had help form Mick and Adam. the boys were excellent painters and did a great job.




A few new lamps and some re-upholstering of the furniture with denim and it will be done. I will have to wait until Spring to do the hardwood floors.
So if you were wondering what I have been up to.... here it is in a nutshell!
I really didn't have time to do much of anything else.
And how were your Holidays?