SO MUCH MONEY WE NEED TO SPEND!!

Yesterday was kind of fun. We're in the planning stages of doing some work around the old homestead, and yesterday we began doing some of the more fun things.

We've been getting estimates all over the place and are still waiting for a couple, but certain things are decided. So off we went to the flooring store. Usually that's a chore, but it was surprisingly easy this time. We lucked into a fab laminate for our bedroom that was on clearance....normally almost $6 a square foot, on sale for $2.39. It's gorgeous and because of the price, it's a higher quality than I thought we'd be able to get. 

On to the bathroom flooring! That was easy, too! We're getting Armstrong Alterna vinyl, which is what we have in our kitchen. For the bathroom we're going white with a grey marbling. Gotta look better than carpeting in the bathroom, right? Seriously. I'll never understand anybody putting carpeting in a bathroom.

Just to give you an example of what we've had to work with, here's a pic of my bathroom last year.  I'd like you to be aware that this "stunning" blue is what both bathrooms had along with the same cream colored carpeting. So gross. And please don't fail to notice how nicely the carpeting extends up to cover the side of the bathtub area....so considerate of them.

Last spring I learned about Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations and Giani Granite, which is a countertop refinishing system. And this is what I turned my bathroom into.

That tub was also a disaster, but I found a refinishing kit for that, too!  From THIS!

To THIS!

And that, my friends, is how you remodel on a budget. I'm super happy with how it turned out. But now it's time to continue improving it.

Next stop, Menards! Bought a brand spanking new shower and looked at toilets. The number of different styles of toilets is redonk. It's a toilet. How many options could a person possibly need? Color, height, round, elongated....just pick and be done with it already. Sheesh.

I'm getting a new toilet for both bathrooms. My well water here, even with a water softener, has been the absolute bane of my existence for the past 12 years. No matter what I've done or what I've tried, the toilets were stained badly when we moved in and remain stained to this day. It makes me feel like we're filthy people even when the rest of the house is eat-off-the-floor-clean. 

And my shower....BEYOND disgusting. Stained beyond all recognition. As an example of my water, if we get weather cold enough that freezing pipes is a concern, I'll let the water trickle in the spare bathroom and the kitchen.  Within 24 hours, my sinks are orange. And I'm not talking a smidge of orange. So imagine a shower from 1996 getting that water in it every day. Yeah. It's bad.

I've wanted to replace all of these things but said I wasn't going to do that just to have them get all ruined again. There's a water treatment company an hour from me that guarantees that I will never have this problem again. We had them out a few weeks ago to get an estimate. As I had feared, this perfect system costs over $3,000. We were kind of waiting to see how much money all of this other stuff we're doing was going to cost before making a decision on it, but I think we had resigned ourselves to the fact that it was too expensive.

Then last night the lady called and said they have a rental program for it.  Oh, hellz, yes....I am all over that.  I had Kev call her back 15 minutes later and jump on that so they'll be coming out within the next couple of weeks. I am beyond excited knowing that my brand new white shower will remain white, as will both new white toilets. Finally!!!

This week I'm going to pick up some paint swatches for the bedroom. Flooring guy will come on Wednesday to take measurements, and hopefully the ceiling guy will come out to assess what it will cost to fix the water damaged ceilings. I also have one more plumber to get out here to see about getting the shower installed and to get an estimate from him on the new furnace, air conditioning and water heater.

Tomorrow I'll talk about the deck!! I know you'll be waiting with bated breath to hear all about it!

Back when I was posting all of those half-moon mani's, I forgot about this one.

I buy these damn pixiedust/textured polishes and very rarely use them.  Since I was trying for something a little different, I went with the Zoya Pixiedust Godiva. My half-moon is OPI What Wizardry is This.  I like Godiva a lot. The OPI I bought because it's really pretty with a topcoat over it or without.

I'm thinking I'm done with half-moons for awhile. I've gotten my fill of them, and Nail It Magazine didn't even use any of the ones I did. Oh, well, I tried.

Sorry for all of the non-related house remodeling stuff, but you'll be reading more of it off and on for awhile probably since that's what's happening in my life.

Don't forget about the giveaway that will be starting soon!!!