Home Improvement Day 3: Success!

On Sunday, the task at hand was grouting. I'd chosen a grout that is close to the color of the tile. The old grout had a number of problems; the most significant among them was its light color. It was impossible to keep pristine or even clean-ish. I live with an 8 year old boy and I wouldn't say that careful aim is always a high priority. That grout like to kill me.

So the new grout is darker and blends in with the tiles. It won't improve anyone's aim, but it will cover a multitude of sins. I had mis-estimated the amount of grout we'd need to complete the room and that necessitated an emergency grout run to Lowe's. But within the hour after my return, T had the room grouted. Then came the tricky part: she had to wait several hours for the grout to set before re-installing the toilet. We would be wiping up the excess grout and cleaning the surface but that doesn't really take all that long in a 5x5 room. What to do?
Normal people would spend their downtime laying about watching football and barking orders for cold beer and nachos.

I say this with the greatest respect for her endless energy: T is not normal. So instead of down time, we had project time. A new curtain rod was installed in JT's playroom. At some point (I have no idea where I'd gone off to) T vaccumed underneath the furnace in my basement (eeek!). Then T hauled out her leaf blower and organized the rest of the leaves in the backyard. JT did some leaf pile jumping and then helped me to fill the bags. Not to be outdone by T's work ethic, I recruited the boy to help me plant the rest of my fall bulbs and then hang up the outdoor Christmas lights.
The trash piled in the front yard was testament to a weekend of hard work.
Once indoors, I made a little celebration supper and enjoyed our last meal with the toilet in the dining room. Reinstallation of the toilet was a little trickier than we liked, but once the plumbing was up to speed (i.e. a person with actual skill tightened the valve attaching the toilet to the water supply) it was all good. The door was re-hung with a minimum of profanity, all of it coming from my mouth. I was even allowed to use the drill (with no adverse affects on the project).

I couldn't be happier with the results. I'm like a kid with a new toy, happily standing in my bathroom and admiring the new floor.

Thanks, T. I owe you one.