Another fine mess.

Please put all food and beverages aside for a moment.
We'll be visiting in the bathroom today.  :o)

After we spent countless hours on wallpaper removal and plaster repair

in our upstairs bathroom (8 months ago) was I any happier with the room?

Nope.

After the wallpaper was gone and the upper walls were painted white
all I could focus on was the beige tile.  I looked at that wall tile
 month after month and wished it would magically transform itself
into white subway tile.  Not happening, I'm afraid.

I was so uninspired to continue with the room that last weekend I convinced

my partner in crime (who may have been slightly less enthusiastic

than I to embark on this quick fix) to help me remove the beige tiles.

Less than an hour later we were done!

  Woo hoo!

Then we stood back to survey the damage.

It gets worse.

You can see the many layers of paint over the faux plaster tiles

from days of yore.  It's even worse behind the toilet

which necessitated removing the tank.

After removing most of the tile to reveal the nightmare beneath,

I wisely decided to leave the tile around the tub.

I'm going to cut a few tiles I saved to finish off the edge

and then paint the remaining tile white.  My ever changing plan

is to install beadboard over the rest of the damaged walls.

*Update:  It seems the tiles have been transported to the landfill.
Hmmmm.  I guess we'll worry about that later.

First and foremost we need to smooth out the walls to create

a flat surface on which to adhere the beadboard.  No small feat!!

Worst Case Scenario is what we uncover
 every blankety-blank time we start a project.  You'd think just once
things would go our way!

As you can see, progress has been made, but I foresee nothing but problems
nailing base trim around the room (that slopes downhill)
 onto walls that are not remotely level or plumb.  There will be a lot of standing around
 and head scratching whilst we try to figure this out.

If you've visited the Cosmos Mystery Area in the Black Hills of
South Dakota, you have an idea of what we're dealing with in our bathroom.

But,
 I'm trying to be more of a glass is half-full type of person,
so on the plus side:

1.  No black mold was found in the crumbling walls.

2.  No small rodents or insects crawled through the holes in the walls.
(I watch every episode of Infested.)

3.  We already have new plumbing, wiring, toilet, sink,
medicine cabinet, and window so this facelift should be fairly inexpensive.

*Estimated cost x 4 (or 10) = Actual cost.


4.  I'm not a participant in a blogger ORC.
(for those of you unfamiliar, ORC is a one room challenge
completed in a few short weeks.  I'd crack under the pressure.)


Now let's look at my timeline, shall we?
Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner.
Six adults and 4 small children.

Is this not the perfect time
 to demo a bathroom?!

Timing is everything.
Vickie

Wee woolies.

Black cats may conjure up thoughts of Halloween for you,

but with snow already on the ground!!!  it's looking more like

Christmas up north.......

Evening view from under the shelter of our porch roof.

It looks as though winter is here to stay.

Anyhoo, it's time to start thinking of Christmas presents,

and I've got an idea for my knitting friends.

I wasn't feeling particularly creative over the past few months,

but when I spotted this book......

source

I couldn't wait to get knitting again!

Of course it appealed to my childish nature.  And talk about

instant gratification- I can whip up a sweater in no time that

somebody's actually going to wear!

I made a few changes to the cat pattern (stockinette stitch, color

variations, and pink inner ears) and I gave her a set of pretty

aquamarine glass eyes from my eyeball stash.  I've yet to hear a

 single complaint that her wool sweater is itchy or scratchy.

Each animal pattern in the book also includes a pattern for a....

....baby!!!!!

They're rather fiddly to knit and sew together,

but they're just so darn cute!

Kitty is a little fussy, but she quiets down when Mama keeps her close.

Little fingers need help to strap on the baby carrier.

Kitty's even got a Moses basket to snooze in when Mama's busy.

But kitty's in the baby carrier, so who's sleeping in the basket?

Why it's Baby Panda tucked under a pink blanket with her nonny in her mouth!

(A special request by Finley, a former nonny addict.)

If Panda looks a little top heavy, it's because I mistakenly knit her arms

with 6 stitches instead of 4, but that's our little secret.
Kung Fu Panda.

A happy blended family.

You know I didn't stop at one family.

woof.

Gotta love those puppy ears!

The dogs have a new home with Maggie,

but I've still got a few accessories to finish up for her....

and requests for more baby animals for both girls.
Maggie has an obsession with woobs (aka wolves), so maybe
the dog head with cat ears....I'll see what I can do.

If you're a knitter and have little ones to please,

this book's a winner!

Thanks for visiting!

Vickie

Frozen pumpkin.