We are getting some new floors this week and I. AM. EXCITED. Nothing like a little tile demo to get a Monday morning started, right? And in the good news/bad news department, since we are still furloughed due to the government shutdown, it’s easy to be here for anything the crew needs.
(To answer an obvious question about why we’re proceeding with expensive home improvements when we’re not getting paid? Well, we paid the deposit more than a month ago and the rest can be financed with zero interest. So there really wasn’t a reason to delay.)
Today is demo for the kitchen and three of our four bathrooms — all of them except the master bath. In the kitchen, we are replacing the old 12″ beige-pink stuff and huge gray grout lines. The new floor will be a 24″ light-colored tile with thin grout lines that match the tile color. Our downstairs powder room will now be tile instead of wood, and the upstairs bathrooms will be tile instead of carpet/linoleum.
(The master bathroom is a carpet/tile combo that we hate as well, but that’ll be part of a larger master bath renovation at some point. We’ve talked about doing that in the relatively near future…maybe in the fall? We’ll see. I have a feeling getting new floors is going to make me want to do even more. Ha!)
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The government shutdown appears to have no end in sight after more than 3 weeks already, which is insane to me. Every American citizen should be downright livid about the current level disfunction in our government.
I’ve had to work a few hours here and there, mostly to help identify what tasks we should and shouldn’t be doing right now. (I’m currently acting as a manager in my division.) Jose had to go in for a few meetings today. All unpaid for now, of course.
Jose and I are extremely fortunate in that we’ll be financially ok for at least a few more months. Last week we went out for lunches and coffee, took walks and bike rides, and enjoyed some time to spend on our hobbies. We’re making the best of it, for now, but also hoping it will be over soon.
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I got to see our quilted GCMQG charity quilt at our monthly meeting yesterday. So exciting! Another member took it home for binding and a hanging sleeve, and I’ll be shipping it off for QuiltCon by the end of the month. (The deadline is a couple weeks later for the charity quilts, thank goodness.) Yay!
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I went back to Orange Theory last week for the first time in several months and oof — I was so sore for a few days afterwards! But it felt good to be back, and I went again on Sunday morning.
Over the holiday break, I spent a bit of time considering my fitness goals and the types of things I’d like to focus on in the new year. I have enjoyed the heart rate-based running training that I’ve been doing since August, but I miss the strength part. I get that from Orange Theory, and years of experience have taught me that if I rely on only myself for strength work, I just won’t do it.
So the plan for now is to do a bit of both! Some low heart rate running, and some Orange Theory, and focus on getting into a consistent routine that is maintainable. As the girls are getting a bit older, consistency feels a bit more attainable than it has for the last few years!
I hope that all the tile work goes smoothly this week. The charity quilt turned out so nicely and I look forward to seeing it in person in Nashville.
As for exercise, I found myself hoping for more snow today to make the roads just slushy enough I could cancel heading to the gym in an hour. Ah, well, the rain is nice and the workout will probably lift my mood.
Ha! I’ve definitely found myself in a similar situation looking for excuses to skip a workout.
Hope you made it and had a good one!
Unfortunately I have a bad feeling about the shutdown and its length. I wish a resolution would come to pass quickly, though.
YAY for renovations! I would love to do some around here but we’re hopefully going to at least paint the outside of the house soon!
First I thought it would be over by early January — figured they’d let it run over the holidays to make a point while it didn’t impact *too* many people due to vacation plans, etc.
Then I figured last Friday with the first missed check and Saturday when it officially became the “longest shutdown ever” would spur some action.
Now I’m just throwing my hands up in the air and trying to be as zen as possible.
What a mess.
(And yay for painting!)
I hope the shut downs end soon for your country. The economic impact for people who are effected through lack of service and through lose of income will be huge. Many people live on the edge financially (although that is not wise) it will have a ripple effect on your economy.
I love your quilt con quilt. I have friends going to it. I thought of going to it but am going on a quilting road trip with friends in June so not this time.
I came to your blog through JWQ and am enjoying it!
Keep positive and enjoy the reno’s. Isn’t the destruction part fun!
Thanks Jo — and welcome! Glad to have a new reader via JWQ!
If you haven’t been too QuiltCon before you definitely have to go at some point. It’s such a fun time!