Home today after being away for 12 days.  That is just too damn long.  The kids and I left for Toronto (pronounced Torono btw) on the 17th and we arrived in the middle of a heat wave.  And it wasn't just hot but it was hot and HUMID.  Close to 100F and HUMID.  So gross!  We stayed in my mom's apartment the first three nights and she only has a window air conditioner.   Stephen took the red eye in and arrived on the 20th at 7:30am and we later checked into a hotel for 8 nights.  The trip was a visit and we told the kids to be prepared to be bored and they were.  We spent way too much time sitting in grandparents' living rooms chatting.  But, the grandparents were happy and we can check the obligatory trip to "home" off of our TO DO list.

Now to prepare for our "real" summer vacation.  :)

Gas-less kitchen

So we had another plumber come and give us an estimate for the gas and the price was right about the same as the first guy.  Perhaps a little less - he said it would depend on actual work hours.  I know that we could afford to pay that price but I did not want to.  Plus, we would have a gas line wrapping all around the house from the side of the garage, around the back and then down beside the kitchen before it went into the crawlspace and through the kitchen and continuing into the living room (for future gas fireplace).  Even if we painted the pipe (which we would have to because it would be a black iron pipe!), it would still look ugly wrapped around the house like that. 

However, our current cooktop is crappy as only two burners can heat anything in a timely fashion.  So we are going with an induction cooktop and new downdraft filter.  This will mean all new cookware except for my enamel cast iron Dutch oven and our cast iron skillet since the rest of our cookware is not magnetic so won't work with the induction cooktop.  The new cookware will be far less than the plumbing for gas too. ;)

I have hired the second plumber to come out and replace my hoses on my washer and install a lever shut-off.  It is something that I have always wanted to do and while he was here, he mentioned that the washer hoses should be replaced.  I actually know about 5 people who have had their washer hoses explode on them and flood their houses so I think will be a good thing.

The Final Final Reveal

So here is the bathroom with the glass shower doors installed.  I love it!  The room is so much brighter without the metal frame shower doors cutting off the light from the window.  And so far the boys have kept it mostly tidy.  Hurray!

Darn, I think my hopes and plans for a gas cooktop and gas fireplace insert have been dashed.  I had a plumber here today to give me an estimate to run the gas line and it turn$ out that it will be quite pricey.  Our house is a side split and the side of the house where the ga$ comes in is on a concrete slab.  The gas line would need to run around the outside of 1/2 of the house before it could go into the crawlspace and then across the crawlspace and up into the kitchen and living rooms.  I had priced it out in my head based on rough ideas from the fireplace places that I had visited and was e$timating $1200.  It turns out that it will be more than DOUBLE that.  Egads!  I do not want a gas fireplace that badly.  I mean I really do want one and a new gas cooktop but that adds so much more to the cost of the project.

And we are STILL awaiting the glass shower doors to be installed.  Tomorrow, hopefully.  The installed showed up last week and the glass panel was the wrong size - off my about 1/2 inch!  He had measured it and then someone typed in the measurement wrong when they sent in the order to the manufacturer.  So frustrating! 

Anyway, I will post the final photo once it is in.

Never Ending Indeed!

The glass company came to install the shower doors today BUT the fixed panel was made to the wrong specification.  Well, it was made to the correct specification but somehow the notes made by the measurer were input into the system incorrectly and voila!  A panel that was too narrow by almost 1/2".  It will take another 4 business days or so to fabricate a new one so with the holiday we have an estimated installation date of next Wednesday. I am not holding my breath.