Bathrooms First Look

Guess what came today! The marble hex floor tiles for the master bath in our spec home. I couldn't be more excited if this were going in my own home! Well, that's probably not true. I would be more excited if this were for my house.....but I'm still really excited. I have wanted to use this material forever it seems.


Until recently, I just found it too expensive to justify. But on a recent trip to "The Orange Store" as Tinny calls it, I came across a whole new line of special order designer tile. The tile is on the high end of pricing for tile at Home Depot, but very affordable when compared to the specialty tile stores.


This is the actual board I ordered the hex tile from.


The 12 x 12 tile I used for the hall bath floor, and the coordinating hex mosaic for the master bath floor. Both baths have white high gloss subway tile in the bathtub surrounds. We splurged and bought a brand new shiny white tub for the hall bath (even though it already had a white tub). There is something so great about a new shiny white tub. (And something not so great about a scuzzy worn out tub).

Anyway, here's a snapshot of the progress in both the hall and master bath from the befores, to the present day status. There is still MUCH work to be done.....but we are coming along!












The master bath did not have a shower or bathtub, but had enough room to add a special apartment length bathtub. Adding the plumbing was the main challenge here, but luckily this bathroom backs up to the other bath, so we were able to open the wall, and floor below to gain access to the plumbing. The new plumbing was followed by setting the brand new tub, adding a layer of water resistant tile backer (a must), and the bathroom is now in the process of getting all subway-tiled up! Next, we will be ready to lay the marble hex floor....yippee!!! The vanity is going to be awesome too. Brand new white cabinet, curvy quartz counter and backsplash, and a really cool round sink. Stay tuned to see the final results. You won't want to miss it.







And in case that isn't enough inspiration for you, here are some other great bathrooms featuring marble hex tile floors. All images below from DecorPad.

Preschool Graduation

I cried most of the way through preschool graduation.


This is sort of how it went, "Days of the Week" (snap snap) "Days of the week" (snap snap)....loud sniffling sounds from me. I am not really accepting the growing up of my children very gracefully. This year is especially hard. I have Cameron who has four days left of elementary school, and then will be in Junior High, and Tinny, who is finishing preschool and starting full time school in the fall. At least Lucy is in a non-milestone year.


I must be overly sentimental, because truthfully this is causing me to have a breakdown of sorts. Bryan insists that I will still like my children even when they are older......we'll see.


I'm just really going to miss the little children phase, and I can't believe it's over. It's making me tear up right now just typing these words. How did this happen so quickly? I feel like I laid down to take a nap and when I woke up they were big.


On a lighter note, Tinny was the star of the graduation program. During one song in the program their teacher, Miss Tammy, prompted them to "sing louder".

After the song, Tinny turned to Stella on his left and said loudly, "Really...did you have to yell?" To which the audience erupted in laughter. That was all the encouragement he needed, and he hammed up the rest of the program. I motioned to him to stop, but he didn't, and truthfully I didn't want him to stop. There's always got to be at least one kid to make the program interesting.


So, I have the summer now to cherish every last drop of fun, before I take Tinny to kindergarten, and the elementary school police may have to forcibly ask me to leave. And then I'll drop off Cameron at Jr. High, where I'll try to hug him, and he'll pretend he doesn't know me. Good Times.

U2 Tonight

One of my most favorite things I have ever done, was to attend the U2 concert in Glasgow Scotland in the summer of 2009. Bryan and I were on a trip to Ireland, and knew that U2 was playing in Scotland the next week, so we arranged our trip to include the stop in Glasgow. (Thanks for the idea Andersons!) The concert was so amazing. The only down side was the weird Spanish guy I sat next to (behind me in the photo) that breathed really loudly through his nose......ewww.



Since we are attending the U2 concert in Salt Lake tonight (YIPPEE) I thought I would show you a few of my favorite things we saw while in Ireland and Scotland.


As a result of that trip, I discovered my favorite place on earth (so far). Edinburgh, Scotland. This is St. Margaret's Chapel inside Edinburgh Castle. It is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh. It is tiny at only about 10 X 16 feet, and very intimate. (A wedding here would be awesome).



There is something so special and reverent about the little chapel. I teared up while inside, (I know...not that surprising considering how often I tear up). But I really didn't want to leave. Bryan finally had to drag me back outside. The Chevron moldings (they looked like they were made of stone) were simply fantastic.



I plan to have a large print of this photo made some day.



A few of my other favorites from around the city. Miracle Mile.

One of Edinburgh's amazing rooflines.

The Castle built on the rock cliffs.

The West Bow. We looked up something at in Internet cafe here. I think it was in the shop with the blue doors.

Another castle view. Photos don't do this city justice.



Another thing I loved loved loved, were all the Georgian style brightly colored doors in Dublin. The doors have been highly photographed (remember this poster?) but they really are cool in real life. And they are EVERYWHERE. It is not an isolated instance, they really are all over the city. Law firms, retail stores, homes, apartment buildings, you name it! They all have these crazy bright colored doors. I took dozens of my own photos of the doors, but since we were always in a moving car while I passed the doors, they are all blurry :( sad I know.

I plan to do another post with more detailed Ireland homes and architecture, but I can't now, I'm off to get ready for the concert!!!

Strange....and A Slump

First of all, I want to apologize for the slump I've been in for the past few weeks. I have been feeling uninspired, and unmotivated, and my blog has shown for it. So, if you have been disappointed at the lack of quality/quantity here lately, I apologize. Hopefully things are looking up. It helped that the sun finally came out! :) Anyway, I wanted to share with you a strange real estate find.

Remember this house I love. I posted about it here back in September. Well the house is back on the market. There is a new realtor and new lower price, and I am feeling like I have a serious case of real estate stalking....


There has also been several subtle changes to the decor. Why?!?!? Is it just the natural progression of style that all our houses undergo, or are they calculated changes to help the house sell? (I still love this banquette by the way).



I do think the dining chairs are better. I commented in my last post about the lack of space to move around the table. The new rug is an interesting change as well.


New cushions on the entry bench. I think the first look was more soothing and subtle.


The kitchen remains pretty much unchanged.


Awww, it looks like the baby girl got moved into a big girl bed (see I told you I am a stalker!)



The living room got a new striped ottoman to replace the coffee table. Everything else looks pretty much the same.



The master bedroom just has slight changes to the bedding. Also, new art above the fireplace.


The new listing also has some new bathroom photos that weren't included in the first tour. Super cute! I have been coveting this shower curtain for a while.


Which version do you like better? You can find the current listing here.


Here's hoping for a sunny weekend!