Happenings

Spring is already summer and the kids are out of school! There has been no news on the job front for Mike -- not even one interview! We discussed it and decided that, since pickings are so slim, that this would be the perfect time for him to finish up his BA at college. He only has two semesters to go and while we will have to tap into savings to pay for some of it, we feel it is a good investment, as it may help him to get a job. So, he signed up to take two general education courses (English and biology) at the local community college, as well as an online class through the Southern Illinois University (which is where he is getting his degree). In the fall, he will take three courses at either the community college or university here in town and one more online class and he should be done! Of course, if he gets a job in the meantime, he can always drop the school and finish it later.

We had a bit of a setback with the master bathroom. As Mike was attaching the fixtures in the shower, he found that one pipe was loose. Turns out, the plumbers had not secured it correctly, and we first had to take out a tile (so the plumber could look and confirm this) and then go in through the back wall (Mike's closet) and fix the problem. I thought I was finished with drywall dust for awhile :( However, at least the problem is fixed now and hopefully the last fixture will go in this weekend. We are then FINISHED!! Of course, I'm already planning the next job. The kid's bathroom is in horrible shape. We learned (when we demolished the master bathroom) that the builders tiled right onto normal drywall -- and that is not acceptable. The grout in the kid's bathroom is cracking and we know the wall behind it is in bad shape. Since the tile we used in our bathroom was being discontinued and dropped to a ridiculously low price, we went ahead and purchased enough to re-tile the kid's bathtub surround and the bathroom floor. I'm going to be making a large mosaic from all of our many leftovers and that will be the focal point for that bathroom. I enjoy that type of work, as its an outlet for my creative side (plus, it really gives you a sense of satisfaction when you do a nice job).

Now I just need to find the time/energy to start on that project :)