Finally

I finally sealed the grout in our master bathroom today. Let me tell you something-- they aren't joking when they tell you to use that stuff in a well ventilated area. Now, that poses a major problem for me. Our master bathroom has no a/c vent at all and gets no ventilation at all. So, with window open (as if it might do any good) and armed with a mask over my face, I set to work.

Sealing grout isn't all that hard. I don't really know why I've put it off this long. The worst part is that the house is still filled with the fumes. Ugh.

With that done, I set to work on the other bathroom. Just the routine cleaning. We have some of the worst water in the world, I'm convinced. I have to attack the shower with CLR about once a week to keep the rust stains from getting out of control. Even now, after scrubbing until my arms ache, there's an orangish tint to the ivory tile and it drives me crazy. We really need to re-do that entire bathroom soon since the grout is starting to fail in some places (probably from constant scrubbing with harsh chemicals) and there's a chip in the tub right next to the drain that is starting to rust and grow.

Homeownership is so much fun! *sarcastic grin*

So, given the options of re-tiling and replacing the tub or installing one of those vinyl drop-in type of things, I think I've decided that the vinyl is the way to go. Sure, it's not as pretty as tile, but it can be installed over the existing mess without a lot of demolition, it's done in one day, and keeping it clean and rust stain free will be considerable easier.

In other news, we're all still fighting off some sort of cold. We're grumpy, sniffly, and achy. But it hasn't slowed J down very much. He and I spent the morning outside today getting a little sun. He helped me pull weeds from the flowerbeds and bagged them all up for the trash. He's such a good helper! I hope that he'll continue to be as enthusiastic about chores as he gets older, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

So, besides that, the only other thing going on is laundry. Not very exciting, but I feel productive for the first time in quite a while.

Also working on a pair of felted clogs for my shoe-loving son. It's the first pattern I've actually paid money for, and I'm not disappointed. They are simple and quick, and even though I've only got one finished, and it hasn't been felted yet, he's already in love with it. Yay! Might make a few more pairs as christmas gifts, too. But let's see how these turn out once they're felted first.

J's still napping, so I think I'll take this spare time to do some closet clearing. The parents are going to have a garage sale this weekend and it would be a perfect opportunity for me to get rid of some junk, and put a little extra money in our bank account. It would be nice if I could sell enough to be able to buy Wil a birthday present without tapping into the bank. It seems kind of lame to go out and buy him something with the money that he earned, doesn't it? If I can sell the window unit a/c and this computer desk for a decent price, I'll even be able to tuck a little away as yarn money. Nothing makes me happier!

BTW, if any of you knitterly readers know of a good and inexpensive online source for linen yarn, I'd love for you to share it. The plan is to make a nice set of hand towels for the mother-in-law.

Ok, back to work.