Bye Bye Yucky Bathroom - This Studs For You.

The time has come for my bathroom to get a facelift; Joan Rivers style.
Long ago, I mentioned this post about my bathroom's pink tiles.  I dreamed of keeping my lovely retro pink floor tiles and ditching the floral wallpaper and the plastic red wine colored wall tiles for an updated, ultra cool, but not too modern look.  Well my friends, that day has finally come.  I could no longer handle going into the bathroom with the tiny vacuum cleaner and having random tiles pop off the walls if I got too close and I was so-over the buckling tiles above the tub faucet and having the plaster beneath crumble into the tub while I was trying to shower.  It was just plain embarrassing.
So on Saturday Nov. 19th, it was Go Time.  I spent the day with a putty knife in hand and went to town popping off tiles left and right.  They came down without too much of a fuss, but what was lurking underneath was another story.  The dreaded M word.  That's right.  Mold showed its ugly face and it was not pretty.  Between the old glue that held the tiles on and the mold growing under most tiles in the shower area, it reeked in there.  This was going to be a bigger project than suspected.

View 1 before renovation (notice missing tiles starting right by shower curtain?

View 2 before renovation.

This picture doesn't do it justice, but can you see the buckling tile above the faucet?

Poppin' tiles in the shower,

A lot of tile gone -- Goldish-yellow stuff: Glue.  Black stuff: Mold.

To make a long story short, the day went by with the rest of the tiles coming off and getting a good jump on getting the glue scrapped off.  The plan from the beginning was to ditch the tiles and wall paper and put a shower surround in and put up white Wayne's Coating, or White Hardboard Wall Panel as it's also called, where the tile outside the shower used to be.  I thought the floor was cute so I was going to keep that and the vintage, yet still cute, medicine cabinet and light fixtures.  The vanity and sink were also going to hit the curb.
The week went along just fine.  The walls in the shower were going to come out only halfway (where the shower surround was going to go) and we were going to start from basically scratch and put up new drywall (the current walls are plaster since the house was built in 1950).  The walls outside the shower were going to stay as is with the exception of the wallpaper coming off.  We didn't really want to go through the trouble of re-doing all of the walls unless necessary.  And as long as I got most of the yucky glue off, we were good to go because the White Hardboard was going to cover that up anyway.  So, with the help of my brother who was off work for a couple days, the three walls in the shower came off halfway.  Again though, mold lurked behind the walls onto the two by fours.  Obviously, these plastic tiles had not been sealed well for a long time.

Somewhere in the tile/glue/wall removal process I was faced with the sad reality that the Pretty Pink Tiles were going to have to go *insert sad face*.  The toilet had obviously had a leak in the past and the floor beneath it wasn't fixed properly.  Therefore, the tiles were loose practically all around the toilet and would need to come out in order for the floor to be fixed anyway.  I knew before that a few tiles were loose but I figured it was a quick fix.  I had no idea that once the few loose ones were out, the large group of tiles surrounding them would have a domino effect.  So, instead of hitting the clubs the night before Thanksgiving, I hit the crowbar and got the floor tiles out in record time.  Well, record time for me anyway, since I have never taken out Tiny Pink Tiles from a bathroom floor before.

Fast forward to Saturday, November 26th.  Somewhere between smashing up floor tiles and Black Friday shopping, my mind was changed and I was going to re-tile the shower instead of putting in a fiberglass surround.  Don't ask why, just go with it.  Let me side-track for a second...I know I haven't mentioned who "we" are in this whole bathroom renovating process, so I will give them shout outs here:  Ladies and Gentelman, let's give it up for the Main Contributors of the Wright Bathroom Renovation 2011.....*insert pump up music*...The Father of the Home Owner, Mr. John Wright...and the brother of the Homeowner, Mr. Jeffrey Wrgiht...and of course a Bathroom Remodel wouldn't be complete with the help of Mom herself, Mrs. Kimberly Wright.  And let's not forget about the woman not always present, but was on major clean up crew today...the Sister-in-law, Mrs. Ashley Wright.  And of course last but not least, the homeowner herself, Ms. Leiann Wright *insert crowd screams and more pump up music*.

Ok, where was I?  Oh yeah, Saturday.  I rented a wallpaper steamer at a local rental place and my mom came over and we went to town taking down that gorgeous wallpaper.  I really wanted to name the title of this post "Where Have All the Flowers Gone", but I didn't.  My mom and I worked for about 6 hours removing wallpaper.  We came across hiccup after hiccup with a few choice words along the way.  

Wallpaper Steamer

Mom so happy she came to help!

Gross walls underneath wallpaper.

We highly recommended to my dad that all the walls come down and we start fresh with new drywall.  That went over like a lead balloon.  Or did it?  After my dad decided to join us in the fun and realized first hand how much a pain in the behind "repairing" the upper part of the walls (where new paint was going to go) was going to be, he finally agreed that all walls needed to go.  So to commemorate 6 wasted hours of peeling wallpaper, we stuck a hammer through the wall so there was no turning back--these walls were coming down!

Crowbars up!

Stud Muffin.

After about three hours of demo work Saturday, approx. 8 hours on Sunday, and 7+ barrels of debris later, all of the walls were naked and pretty much ready for drywall!  A friend of mine is going to come in and do that for me, but not before some wiring and a much needed fan is installed.  There is still a lot to do, but after only a week and a day, I feel like she's lookin' pretty beautiful--studs and all!

Debris 1

5 more barrels of debris

Stripped to bare bones!  What a sight!

Ash on cleanup--no, she isn't germ paranoid, just protecting her lungs from the mounds of dust floating through the air!

I have to also note that as all of this work is going on in the upstairs bathroom, my brother has been working his butt off in the basement to try to make that bathroom more livable for us since we will have to use that one for awhile while the main one is under construction.  It's lookin' pretty good from what it was a couple weeks ago!

Treading Wood

Instead of treading water for an hour tonight to burn off all of the Thanksgiving and Black Friday calories I consumed over the past 32 hours, I decided to put some treads on my wood steps instead.  Although I didn't burn near the calories I would have treading water, I did break a minor sweat.  Measuring and taping in a steep stairway can take a lot out of you--especially after a long tiring day at the mall.
Anyway, back to the treads.
When I moved in in June of '09, the steps leading up to my bedroom looked like this:

I know. Between the smell and the pattern, the carpet was pretty raunchy.  I am not sure what my friend realtor is pointing at in this picture, but this was at a final walk through and she was probably telling me that the carpet was a health hazard and needed to come out asap!  Needless to say, it did later that summer and I was left with this:

Not perfect, but better than above.  You can see where they had their old treads before they decided to cover it with the turquoise/brown spotted cow look carpeting---why they covered up these decent steps with that hideous carpet is beyond me.  But anyway, after the carpet was up and the staples were out, in my opinion they good to go.  I wasn't about to worry about the minor fading and the scratches you don't see until you get close.  Who they weren't good enough for though, is these guys:

Yes, I know it's pathetic, but I caved to my four-legged brother and niece who are frequent visitors and sometimes live-in roommates.  Those steps are pretty steep and I don't blame them for freaking out that their little paws and claws are going to slip and they are going to go tumbling down, which they both have actually done in the past.  So, since one is afraid to go down but not up the steps, and the other is afraid to go up but not down, I am always stuck carrying one of them up or down and although it's good exercise, it's getting old making two trips.  Plus, it's sad when you are up putting laundry away and a certain someone wants to be right by your side, but he can't get up the steps so he stands at the bottom and cries until you come and get him!

So after over a year of putting it off and about 100 extra trips up/down the steps to get a dog or two, I finally bought some treads.  They aren't the most fancy things in the West, but they will do.  The door to go up is usually closed anyway and the people (dogs) who care most about them are just happy they are there so they now have some traction and won't need to be carried humiliated anymore.

Ye Old Treads.

Ye Old Math skills coming in handy.

Ye Old Double-Sided Carpet Tape used -- in 3 different languages; just in case.
*note: That is not me modeling on the packaging*

Ye Old Installation. 

Ye Old Finished Product.

Tis' the season!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I don't have any Thanksgiving pictures to post yet so I am going to jump the gun like Target and Kohl's and post a little about how Christmas is right around the corner. The city decorations are up, most of my Christmas lights are hung (courtesy of my brother) and although it's already melted, the first snowfall of the season happened last weekend.
Cheers to a Happy Thanksgiving and to Black Friday and the official start of the Christmas season!

Can you see the Christmas tree on the light post?

First 2011 snowfall in St. Paul Park, MN

30!

Wow, where have the years gone??  As of Nov. 12, I am 30 years old!  I still can't really believe it.  There is so much to tell, I don't even know where to begin!  I guess it started back last year when my mom and I decided we would have a Dual Birthday Party in Las Vegas.  This is the year that she turned 50 on Nov. 8 and I turned 30 just four short days later.  What better way to celebrate two milestones than in Vegas!  So reservations were made and we were getting all pumped up.  Some of our close friends decided to make the trip with us and it made it extra-special :)
Fast forward to November and let the partying begin:
The first birthday party was thrown at my Grandma's house with a big fancy dinner and gifts galore.  No offense to my other wonderful presents I received, but the highlight may have been the Green Kitchenaid hand mixer I got from my Grandma and Grandpa!
The second party came the day I left for Vegas, I went into work to work my 1/2 day and my co-workers had decorated my cube in an Owl theme (my newest favorite trend right now since I don't dare try to pull off Skinny Jeans) and had a whole spread of treats and gifts to celebrate my big day.  It was so nice, I almost didn't want to leave work to get on the plane! -- notice I threw in "almost"...
The third party was Vegas.  The first night was pretty low key.  We were all pretty tired from traveling but we managed to stay out until after midnight at a bar called the Party Pit.  It's outside Harrah's and I would highly recommend it.  The bartenders are unbelievable and if you want to see for yourself, just click this video that I posted.  The second night was Friday.  We partied well into my birthday (Saturday) at Toby Keith's bar.  It was nothing short of awesome.  I was kind of nervous to look at the pictures until today, but everything turned out OK.  :)  I was reminded of some things and of just how much fun we had.
Saturday night we went and saw the Beatles Love Cirque du Solei show and it was so cool.  I had never seen a Cirque show, but after that experience, I will definitely see one again!
Sunday was time for the partying to end.  I left not winning any money, but a few people in our group did.
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot about my celebrity encounter on Saturday....  While walking through the mall at Caesar's Palace, I saw and talked to Carrot Top.  He was in a little shop that sells t-shirts for around $80.  I went in, pretending to be interested in a shirt, but only really there to talk to him.  I said hi to him and told him I liked his act.  He was actually very nice.  I wanted to get a picture, but he seemed like he was kind of in a rush and I wanted to play the "cool" tourist and not bug him.
Sunday we got home and I started recovering from all the partying of the past week.  My birthday was officially over.  Or was it....?
That's right, it was not over.  What I thought was just going to be a short bridesmaid dress try on at the mom's house of a friend of mine and a "quick" beer afterwards (we both wanted to get home early) on Friday night turned out to be a Surprise Birthday Party for me at Shamrock's in St. Paul.  If I said I was surprised, I would be lying.  I was Shocked.  I  had absolutely no idea.  We walked into this back room where our friend was supposedly waiting for us and I walked in and instead of just seeing her, I see about 50 people that I know and love!  It took me a split second for me to realize what the deal was, but when everyone yelled "Surprise" and I think started singing, it all sank in.  It was so fun and still unbelievable.
I don't have any pictures because of course I didn't have my camera on me but once I get some from friends, I will have to post them.

And a 30th birthday wouldn't be complete without a list of the good and bad things about being 30.  I started thinking about everything the other day and just jotted a few down.  Enjoy!

- your insurance goes down (I already have proof!)

- you now have an excuse why you DON'T want to party in Downtown anymore

- 30 is the new 20 (contradicts above statement)

- people born in the 90's can now legally drink and it makes you feel OLD

- Nickeloden has a special time-slot devoted to people in their late 20's/early 30's with the great shows from when you were a kid

- Getting a Kitchenaid mixer and a Crockpot for your birthday is almost as exciting as getting your license 

- 21 year olds see you as 'old'

- not old enough to be referred to as 'that lady'

- still young enough to be called 'kiddo'

- can wander over to the 'older person' section at Kohl's for work clothes and not feel geeky about it

- your idea of a good time is redoing your bathroom

- KDWB is not a radio station you regularly turn to anymore

- people go to Vegas with you and throw you a surprise party all in one week!

Bloopers!

Everyone loves a good blooper reel at the end of a movie, don't they?  It's pretty much my favorite part.  Anyone who knows me well enough probably will believe me when I say that I've sat and watched numerous FRIENDS bloopers right in a row, even though I have seen them about a billion times.
So, in ode to my love of bloopers, I figured I'd share some of the good, the bad and the ugly out-takes from my 30 Day Photography Challenge.  They may not be as funny or even close to as funny as some of the stuff you'd see at the end of the movie credits, but you will get a hint at just a few of the mishaps that happened along the way of this challenge (note the Great Head Cut-Off on day 13).  The final photos looked pretty good at the end of the day, but when you take 50 or more shots (this is NOT an exaggeration...I think day 1 and day 21 both had probably over 50 shots EACH), you are bound to get one decent looking one, right?
Sorry for the smallness of the reel -- I wasn't thinking and made it a little on the small side.  I didn't want to bog down the blog.  :)     Enjoy!

PinTastic Weekend!

Wow, tomorrow is Friday already and I am just NOW getting around to telling you the excitement that fulfilled my weekend last weekend.  Sorry for the poor blogging now that the Photography Challenge is done...I have a ton o' stuff going on in my life outside of blogging so STBA has kind of been put on the back burner.  I will be sure to be back in full swing after Nov. 15th and will do a major update of the fun events that are about to happen in the next two weeks.

Ok, back to the weekend.  I have mentioned the awesome site, Pinterest before...have you been there yet? If not, check it out.  If you need to get inspired for ANYTHING, I highly suggest taking a visit to that site and start searching.  It's where I found my Photography Challenge and it changed my life (ok, that was an exaggeration, but it it technically did change my life for 30 days).
Anyway, I was rummaging through Pinterest last week and found three awesome things and I ended up doing all three of them last weekend.
I give you My Weekend of Pins.

Saturday:  Newspaper Nail Polish.  Simply dip your fingernails (one at a time) into rubbing alcohol or Vodka for a few seconds, press a strip of newspaper onto your nail for about 20 seconds or so and peel off. The ink stays and you have a groovy conversation piece for your next social gathering!  Be sure to put a clear top coat on so the ink doesn't smudge--you wouldn't want to spread the news...get it??  Wa wa waaa.

Sunday: Spooky Rice Krispie Treats & Pumpkin Carving.
I made these cute little guys for a work function and they were a hit!  One took a tumble onto the floor and a guy decided to spook a few people and have it hanging from his doorway for a few days...  Another great conversation piece!

My third Pin idea didn't turn out quite as I planned, but I gave it a shot.  I saw a very cute pumpkin that was full of 'holes'.  I took out the drill and went to town.

Here is the finished product, along with Jeff & Ashley's Joker Faced Pumpkin and a few random weekend shots:

Ashley & Maize modeling by the pumpkins, Seeds & Cider and Jeff imitating his pumpkin--one could say it's Life Imitating Art.  :)