Badger & Leonard relaxing.

I have been busy working on our guest bathroom, trying to take baby steps and get back on track with renovations. I did Tung Oil on the wood walls in the hallway with the skylight and the guest bathroom. I am trying to figure out how to build a new vanity cabinet to mimic the one we have but with updated features like drawer glides and soft close drawers.

My heirloom seeds also arrived a couple weeks ago from Baker Creek. Pictures below of my sprouts coming up. We haven't planted our garden bed but hopefully will in the next week or two. My bean came up fastest, the pepper is the first one from a plant I put in last year and gave up on. The other two sprouts - I dunno - will have to wait and see, I don't mark anything when planting! :)

This weekend will probably be out for any home projects - Spring is my fave time of the year due to all of the wonderful dog events. The Fiesta Cluster is this weekend, and Art Detour as well. The K9 Trials are in April - we attended those for the first time last year and it was very interesting watching the law enforcement handlers and their dogs. Quite different training methods! And a huge difference between the breeds and performances. The GSDs are still my fave, the Malinois seemed way too drivey which overtook their obedience at times.

Phx Home & Garden AZ Style Showplace

Jeff's piece, Therrians, was on display this weekend at Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine's "Arizona Style Showplace". Like an expo type of thing with different vendors from across the valley, seminars, etc. He got to have his piece repatinaed and I am hoping the sculpture can come home now rather than remain at the foundry and get messed up.

Afterwards, we went over to The Great Indoors and talked to a salesguy about Caesarstone. They are having a 25% off sale right now and we want to do our bathroom vanity countertops in Caesarstone. We really like Blizzard, Nougat and Quartz Reflections. We'll see what happens... the 2 countertops are not enough to meet their minimum but they do have rems that might work.

Blizzard:

Nougat:

Quartz Reflections:

My naturopath appointment & more

I had an appointment with a Naturopath yesterday. I was really excited as Jeff has been to see this doctor before and I was very impressed. I need help getting my health on track and quitting smoking.

Typically, after going thru a battery of questions, he does Electro Meridian Imaging (Ryodoraku) with a machine to check your energy flow thru your meridians. However, the machine wouldn't work on me and he thought it was because I was dehydrated. This blew my mind because water is almost all that I drink, except for green tea in the morning. He did a kinesiology test for hydration and found that I was indeed dehydrated.

Next he did acupuncture, which I was somewhat afraid of because I hate needles, but it was a total breeze and didn't hurt at all. He did 6 needles in each ear, one in each hand, knee and foot. After all the needles were in I felt a weird rush over my body and I got very shaky, trembling hands and totally sweaty and hot. He decided it was too much for me and took out four of the needles.

I also got a surgical steel bead stuck on each ear (see picture). When the craving to smoke hits, I am supposed to touch/pinch those beads as this is an acupressure point that should help with cravings. There is also an herb concoction I am supposed to take when the crave hits.

Additionally, he gave me a soak to add to the tub that is supposed to draw tar and toxins out of my body. There is a specific schedule to follow, 4 oz on day 1, 8 oz two days later, etc. There are two other supplements I am taking to help with the dehydration, in addition to getting 1 T of Olive Oil down every day. I have my 2nd appt Weds., we'll see if it makes a difference.

I was really calm last night and actually slept in until 8am today! My back is tensing up again though. Wish I knew acupuncture myself and could do those needles whenever I got tense/stressed.

On another note, my seeds have arrived from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds!! I got Mexican Torch Sunflower, Genovese Basil, Tall Trailing Mix Nastursiums, Eagle Pass Okra, Gray Zucchini Squash, Black Beauty Zucchini Squash, Marketmore Cucumber, Cherokee Purple Tomato, Black Krim Tomato, Tigerella Tomato, Mini Orange Tomato, Bull's Blood Beets and Rainbow Swiss Chard. We cleaned the garden bed out today, maybe we can buy some soil and plant tomorrow?? :)

Skylights Con't.

Before:

We had these skylights put in YEARS ago. I told the contractor repeatedly - "quote the job complete, we want nothing to do, we are getting married the month following". What were we left with? Drywalled shafts. We painted four of the skylight shafts a month or more ago. There is one more large custom one to still do. Finally getting around to the trim on the four we painted...

After:

I have been working on these after work every day, I am also doing Tung Oil on the ceilings and will probably do the bathroom walls as well.

Well, termites are back again, same place as before but two tubes this time. AZ Organic came out Friday and treated again.... I am beginning to wonder if we should've gone with the less expensive, toxic chemical treatment instead?

Also, we are still trying to find sweet Badger a forever home. He is very sweet and playful but I caught him at an adorable docile moment here. He looks right at home, doesn't he?

And here are some pics from our trip to Steele Indian School Park a few weeks ago.

Tom rocks! Thank you, Julia, for letting him come and help us :)

Saturday December 5th

Master bath work resumes.... these guys rock.

This is the Kohler Tahoe cast iron lav we ordered for the guest bathroom. It matches the original one closest, I love the metal rim (had to just lay it on top for the pic though). A couple of the details are missing - the overflow drain on the original had a stainless or aluminum ring on the perimeter - this one has a ring but it's just white - maybe plastic or enameled metal? The original lav also had "soap dishes" cast into the sink on either side of the faucet - this one doesn't. I think it also may be slightly smaller. Oh well, still a really nice cast iron sink.

Kohler "Oblo" shower control & faucet for master, purchased online today:Badger, crashed out.