A few years ago,I bought a house.My first house.It needed a lot of work.My first project was the bathroom.The bathroom had many problems.One problem was the ugly water heater was in the bathroom next to the toilet.Another problem was half of the plumbing was run on the floor and walls of the bathroom.And another problem was the cast iron tub was leaning sideways-which I later discovered,the tub was sitting horizontally on one floor joist,and there was a single sink in a six foot area,which I later changed to a double sink that I got a great deal on at Ikea,. 

To start off I removed the toilet,which I set on the back porch.I remove the "rickety" sink cabinet and sink.Then I removed the water heater.The cast iron tub was too heavy to carry and store somewhere,so I figured I will work around it.Which I did from start to finish. Next,I took up the old floor which was linoleum with rotted plywood under neath it.In removing the floor,I discovered that the floor joists under the bathroom was rotten,because of all the years of leaks and accidents the bathroom has been through. So the real start was removing and replacing the floor joists.I replaced them with new 2"x 12"s.Then I measured and cut the plywood flooring,the plywood was a special plywood,its soft and smooth on one side,so when I put the linoleum down-it will be smooth.

So,I nailed down the plywood,making sure to put the seams of the plywood to fall where a floor joist is,that way you have a solid floor. Then I move the tub in a different position,so that the heavy cast iron tub is sitting,with the floor joists running vertically.So another words there was 4 floor joists supporting the tub. Now it was time to work on the plumbing,which involved me-moving the water heater to a area under the house.

Then I ran copper plumbing to accommodate the double sinks,run plumbing to the toilet,and ran plumbing to accommodate a shower and tub combination. Next To glued down the new linoleum. Then I set the toilet,which I was able to connect to the original 3" sewer line. Then I installed the double sink cabinet and I installed a marble double sink top on the cabinet.And of course I plumbed all of the sink fixtures. Then I installed a surround kit to change the tub into a shower and tub combo. Then I painted the bathroom. I hung new light fixtures,ad a new 5 foot wide mirror to accommodate the new sinks.

It sure was a lot of work but it was totally worth it. Now I am planning a kitchen remodel. We are comparing the cost of Silestone to other countertop options as a first step. Once we figure out the countertops everything else will expand from there. We are going to make the countertop the showstopper and coordinate and contrast our cabinetry, flooring, backsplash, fixtures, etc. from there.

I'm Blah ABout This Stroller

This contribution to our new blog was made by my good friend Debby. She is an active crossfitter and her hubby is Greg of http://gregsweblog.weebly.com/blog.html


I used a Graco Duoglide double stroller when I first had my twins. It was perfect for me. I was able to fit two infant carseats into the stroller which was a big help. It folded up nicely and I could still fit a lot in my cargo area with it in there.

Here are some of my favorite things about it. It was easy to fold and unfold. I could use one hand to do either which was nice. It is also relatively lightweight, for a double stroller. It is tandem so it fit easily through aisles and crowds. Graco is clearly a popular brand. http://bestdouble-stroller.com/graco-double-stroller/

There is a drink holder and little box for keys or pacifiers or whatever on top. There is storage space underneath for diaper bags, shopping bags or purses. When folded it will stand straight up and so it can be kept out of the way in a restaurant. It also had a tray for the babies to put a cup on or toys. There are few things I didn't like.

It wore out quickly, I used it until the twins were about 10 months old when I switched to a jogger. I still have it but the screws are loose or falling out, the material is a little loose. It looks worn. It is also really long so it can be a little hard to navigate in tight quarters. It is really long when folded up so it could be hard to fit into a car trunk.

I have an SUV and it had to be positioned just right to leave room for anything else. I will say that I used it a lot, maybe more than you usually would since I have twins. I couldn't really go anywhere myself without it. Overall, I would buy this again, especially for infant twins.