Today is your Birthday!!!

I know, you may think I was relaxing, maybe getting pampered with a mani/pedi sipping lemon water or maybe out shopping for a nifty *you heard right, I'm bringing back 50's slang* shiny, new sewing machine. Well I in fact spent my 34th hunched over on my knees "buttering" our floor tile. The fates thought it would be awesome to have the coldest, wettest and windiest storm in the history of Los Angeles. My birthday also welcomes the first day of spring but I am wishing we don't have an entire rainy spring season.

My lovely BFF spent the night and Antz bought me my favorite ice cream cake...YAY!!

J'adore my cupcake candles!!!

How attractive is my vomit green old Delias sweater, my homeless hat *or as Antz calls it, my Lucy McGillicuddy clown look* and my snot rags on the table? Last year this time I was chowin' down on melt in your mouth Morton's steak and drinking virgin mai tais at the Standard rooftop

Rain on my birthday....check!

Sick on my birthday...double check!!

Working my ass to the bone, going toiletless for going on 48 hours and we still need to grout tomorrow...CHECKMATE!!

I had a lovely birthday weekend *thanks to my incredible, tireless, considerate, devoted hubby and my wicked awesome, beautiful best friend* despite all my complaints and my poor bladder.

I am super proud of Antz and my craftsmanship, it has been exhausting but going more smoothly than I anticipated.

Just to recap for the thousandth time...this was the bathroom at the open house,

*Dusty rose is TAC-KAY!!*

Here's the loo after we worked our magic on it

 I have lived with that shiteous laminate floor for 5 years yet I have no close up photos but you get the gist. Antz started pulling up the old yucky floor on Friday night. To our delight, there was not only disgusting black mold under the vanity *we expected that because our plumbing has Charlie Sheen DNA* but under the stick and peel floor was more stick and peel laminate in 60's era yellow. Blech! Not only have our previous homeowners have bad taste but they were cheap as well.

 Boo Double Laminate Whammy!!

Reminds me of a horror movie :(

 Poor husband, trapped in another one of my schemes!

I want to barf when I see this catastrophic site, thankfully Antzy sent Liv and I on a errand to Target while he tackled the floor prep *to keep the tiny, yucky germs away from Liv*. I picked up Antz Mom for reinforcements to keep an eye on Liv while we worked.

Dude at Home Depot told us we can use bleach and this cement Wonderboard and some waterproof paint and Voila!

As much as I love pink, this stupid pink took 12 stinking hours to dry. Not the ideal night to have Aimee sleep over *we had a hysterical incident with a bedpan but I won't get into details* Granted to say, we visited Starbucks a bunch of times *I even scored a free Carmel Apple cider*

After hours of tedious tile laying we took a lunch break

Antz worked the wet saw like a pro, even in the storming rain

His cuts were perfect all thousand of them *lousy pink tub!!*

When it was time to butter, we literally said where's the butter *or in technical terms thin set ceramic tile adhesive* we forgot to buy the glue to hold the tile in place. So I took advantage of a much needed bathroom break and went to Home Depot to pick up some more supplies *hey, shopping is shopping*

When I returned, I was all set to hand Antz tools, keep Liv entertained and do my usual slacker routine when I saw how physically exhausted he was I became the Butter Master. I got into Zen mode with buttering the butter.

Just like frosting a cake!

So much for slacking but it was fun and I had the opportunity to leave my mark with this remodel.

A few month's back I read about John & Sherry from Young House Love finding a letter from previous homeowners hidden away behind a wall, so I thought I must leave a note to any future owners of this house!!

*I wasn't even tempted to say how much the neighbors suck*

I am hoping my plan to sell in 4 years comes to fruition so that my letter is true.

*GASP, I look a mess!!* I wish I could be here when the new owners pull up this tile and discover my note *tucked away in laminate*

Cheers to our first attempt at MAJOR renovatin'!!

See my secret...*giggle*

So now we blow on it and wait...wait...wait another long 12 hours for the tile to dry. We will grout tomorrow night and that will take a full 24 hours to dry. Next on the list is painting, installing the sink, toilet and the cabinet so I think by Friday I will have a lovely brand-new We-Did-It-Ourselves bathroom!!

Now that I have some Me time *notice the time of this post* I am girl crushing on this model *and her amazing clothes*

photographed by the amazing Pauline Darby.