Missing Grandma

Two days after Easter, my Grandma took her last breath. She's now celebrating her resurrection with Jesus. It's been a tough few weeks, but we know where she is. Here are a few pictures of our last visit together.

We bought Grandma this pig a few years ago. I have a matching one (Snout). She named hers Snort. Snort belongs to Dayna now.
Grandma's color was so good! I kept complimenting her lipstick...she wasn't wearing any.

Dayna made newspaper hats with Dan's folks the night before. She wanted to share with Great-Grandma!

Bathroom Remodel - After

We had some personal setbacks that kept us from finishing on our timeline, but we're done enough to share pictures of the bathroom.

Window covering and shower curtain

Continuing our Asian/Chinese theme

I LOVE this vanity!

Looking toward the hall door and closet

The corner moldings are one of my favorite features

I had a horrible time finding bamboo. Finally found it at an Asian store at the mall. Seems like an obvious place to me...don't know why I didn't think of it first.

Shelf and towel hooks above the toilet

During...Days 6 & 7

Yeah! Tape means we can paint!

...and we're off!

Not a good hair day, but I needed to prove that I'm helping!

Dayna got to paint, too!

The color: aloe vera

An attractive new light fixture...we're going with rubbed bronze for most of our metals

Laying out the pattern to cut the vinyl

...and the vinyl is cut

One slight snag...our friends who were going to loan us their nail gun left town before we had a chance to get it. Thus, Dan got to hammer a few thousand nails by hand.

This is our "inspiration" piece that we purchased in the Amana Colonies a few weeks ago.

During...Day 5

Cutting the subfloor...huge thanks to friends letting us borrow their tools!

The subfloor fits!

Sanding the doors

And staining them to match

We're still fighting with drywall mud issues...tried a new tactic this morning. Hopefully this will be the last attempt. We're two days behind schedule now...not bad, but we need to paint before we can lay the floor before we can have our furnishings replaced...I'm ready to have a bathroom again. Still...we've learned a lot about this whole process and we're really proud of the work that's been done.

During...Day 4

Drywall is giving us a bit of a problem (us?...I meant Dan). I sure admire his patient attitude as he keeps at it, learning along the way.

We're replacing all the molding and baseboards with a darker wood to match our new vanity.

Corner molding for windows and doors

Painting the ceiling

During...Day 3

We didn't do a lot today, so not many pictures. We started the day by quickly hauling everything to the street.

We made it with less than a minute to spare!

And that vanity/sink combo is now gone forever!

Further accomplishments include more sanding, mudding and taping of drywall, then lunch with a friend and a ton of errands in Omaha while waiting for things to dry. Today we prime and hopefully start to paint. Dan's borrowed a large vehicle with a trailer to bring the big stuff home from Lowe's. Hopefully things will start to come together today!

...We Interrupt this Remodel

We didn't get as much done yesterday as we had hoped. My grandmother's health is continuing to deteriorate. We got a call last week that she had been taken to the hospital again, so we changed our plans for the week (not easy for a planner like myself) and drove up to Norfolk to see her. I was able to sit in on a doctor appointment and relay some information to my mom in Oregon. Honestly, I think last week was the happiest I've seen my grandma in years. She was smiling, even giggling, everytime I looked at her. She doesn't hear well, but we still were able to sit for about an hour just watching television (closed caption, no sound). I truly think it was one of the most enjoyable visits I've had. We came home quite encouraged.

That night, we got a call from my mom that Grandma has basically told the charge nurse and doctor that she's done. She thinks she has no quality of life and is just ready to meet Jesus.

Fast forward to this week....since we went up last week, we were planning to stay put and work on our bathroom this week, possibly visiting next week when my mom gets here. Well, those plans changed (once again) when we got a call yesterday that her body is showing the signs of shutting down.

What to do? April is filled with so much stress already (3 performances, a workshop, bathroom remodel, fitting in schedules of various family members who are coming out to see Grandma.) I'm imagining a houseful of guests with no bathroom...the list goes on. I'm feeling absolutely overwhelmed.

After prayer and Bible Study last night, I've made the decision to stay where I am. That may sound heartless, but a several of reasons go into this decision. 1. I learned last night that none of us are indispensable. That is, as great as Moses was, Joshua was waiting in the wings. God continued his work. His work will continue with my Grandma, but I don't need to be the person there with her. Likewise, if my programs need to be rescheduled, so be it. 2. I have such great memories of Grandma and our visit last week, that if she were to die before we make it up there again, I will have no regrets. 3. If I were to go up right now, it would be out of a false sense of obligation rather than a heart conviction. Honestly, I feel freed with this decision.

So, we're plugging away in the bathroom, praying for my Grandma and family, and waiting to see what God is going to do with all of this.

During...Day 2

Dan installed the exhaust fan, including some rewiring in the ceiling.

Yes, I did some of the work, too. Scraping the adhesive from behind the cheap plastic tiles.

Dan has measured and cut the drywall.

...and it's up!
Ready to mud and tape.

During...Day 1

Taking out the toilet

Taking out the vanity while Dayna changes her baby

Vanity's gone!

So is half of the drywall

My plumbing hero!

And an electrician, too!

Goodbye, Old Bathroom

We have a 1964 home, quite small, and it's time to update the look. We've lived here almost 7 years and have only painted 2 rooms and done minor surface improvements in other places. So...instead of traveling for Spring Break, Dan took the week off, and we're spending quality time in the bathroom. Here are the before pictures:

Ugly 1960's vanity with speckled countertop. Genuine warped plywood!

Plastic swirly tiles. Ooooohh! Aaaaaahh!

More tiles...

And a very dated light fixture.