If These Walls Could Talk!

This bathroom used to belong to our daughter Ashley, who left home at 18 to go to college and never moved back. It has not been touched since.

If these walls could talk!

All the sleepovers, all the prom nights with all her friends crammed in this bathroom, putting on makeup and straightening their hair. Gossiping....

When she went away to college seven years ago, I just closed the door.

Tomorrow, this bathroom will get a facelift, starting with these floors.

This bathroom got a lot of wear and tear, and it shows.

The previous owners also had daughters, hence the pink tile, circa 1993.

I can't wait to tear out the floors and put down 12 inch black squares. On the diagonal.

The tub surround will be replaced with...you guessed it! White subway tile.

New chrome faucets replace the shiny brass...

...and the shower door will be removed in favor of an old fashioned shower curtain.

I've already ordered this ticking stripe one from Pottery Barn.

The thermofoil cabinet will come out too. It still has some of Ashley's makeup in the drawers.

The counter with painted wood edge and surface mount sink. Out of here!

The walls will be clad in white tongue and groove paneling.

Which will cover up the bad sheetrock job.

The big ticket item?

This sink console from Pottery Barn. It comes with Carrara marble top and sinks. Done.

When Ashley comes home for her wedding in December, she will be pleasantly surprised by the change.

And, our house will love the new bathroom. It will definitely be an upgrade that will improve its value.

The Downstairs Bathroom - Before

For 12 years now, I've been fantasizing about taking a sledge hammer to the floor of this bathroom!

Actually, from this viewpoint, this bathroom looks nice. But...

The 12 x 12 tile was supposed to mimic green marble back in the day. It actually looks like a photograph laminated over porcelain.

To make it worse, the tile is also on the countertop. Bad grout job. How many times have I taken a knife to this edge?

The wood countertop edge has seen better days.

The heavily textured walls make me even more crazy!

Then, there are the fixtures. All of the "hot" and "cold" buttons are long gone. The porcelain handles in the shower are cracked.

I could possibly recycle this faucet, but again, the porcelain buttons are gone.

So now that you have seen the bad and ugly, here is what's good about this bathroom.

It opens to the outside, so guests or swimmers can use it without going through the house.

It is positioned near the family room, just down the hall and across from the guest room, where my Mom stays when she visits me.

She loves this bathroom, and is sorry I'm changing the tile, but I am assuring her it will be better.

This is the plan:

Replace the counter with honed Carrara marble and undermount the sink.

Replace the glue-on mirror with an oval mirror over the sink and a sconce to the left.

Tile wainscot will be replaced with tongue and groove to cut costs.

Drywall will be floated out smooth.

The shower tile will be replaced with simple white subway.

And the fake green marble floor will be replaced with....

...black honed marble hexagon tile!

My Mom's bathroom is getting a facelift. And if that isn't enough, I'm doing the same thing to my daughter's bathroom. "Before" photos to follow....

That's new tile in two bathrooms and new countertops in the kitchen.

Hopefully, it can all be finished before Mr. A's 60th birthday party in November and my daughter Ashley's wedding in December.

That's my incentive to "getter done!"

I'm going for it!

My Soapstone "Pinboard"

Green Mountain Soapstone

I have been spending a lot of time at various stone yards the last couple of days, working up the courage to replace my countertops.

At first, I thought honed absolute black granite would give me the look I want. A classic, black and white, neutral look in my kitchen. But it looks too contemporary--like asphalt even!

Also, fingerprints show.

Carlos the Fabricator has been very patient with me, because I'm all over the place!

Granite? Carrara Marble? Soapstone?

He has negotiated the price for a few slabs of soapstone, currently on hold for someone else.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they become available, because soapstone is what I keep going back to.

Green Mountain Soapstone

This is the look!

I'm trying to put my finger on why soapstone speaks to me.

After all, there are plenty of natural stone products out there that are similar.

But they aren't soapstone. All I can say is that it carries the weight of an emotional decision.

The sales person at the stone yard tried to tell me that soapstone will stain and etch.

He wants to sell me absolute black granite!

Home and Garden Webshots

Remember chemistry class in high school? The counter that the bunsen burners sat on was probably soapstone. That's because soapstone does not absorb chemicals. So therefore, red wine, lemon juice, olive oil and tomato sauce won't be a problem!

For months, I've been "stalking" kitchens with soapstone counters, like Joan's from For the Love of a House. Her kitchen was recently featured in Better Homes and Garden's Renovation Style magazine.

I can't get enough of my friend Lisa's kitchen with soapstone counters. This is probably when I fell in love with soapstone! I love the feel of the counters. Like velvet.

Then there's the "Something's Gotta Give" kitchen. My all time favorite.

I've been stalking this kitchen for a very long time!

House and Home

So, to sum up. This is what I decided on, as of yesterday, after spending four hours with Carlos the Fabricator and visiting several stone yards:

Soapstone on the perimeter counters and calacatta oro marble on the island, since it is black already.

Tuesday is demo day. Stay tuned....

Aaron's Herb Box

Aaron asked if I had something big enough that he could plant his culinary herbs in.

I remembered that we had several wooden wine crates in the garage that I just couldn't throw away, and had seen them used for herbs before.

So, I showed him how to use my drill and he drilled away!

The bigger crate will have a variety of herbs...

...and the smaller one so far just has lemon balm.

I suggested we put it next to the barbeque so that his herbs can be harvested when he cooks outside.

I have a feeling he will end up planting all the crates with herbs. A great way to re-use and re-cycle, don't you think?

To follow Aaron's culinary adventures, visit his blog The Grape Leaf Kitchen.

Gray Garden

The garden tea that was rained out last week really spurred me on to spruce up my back yard.

Two weeks earlier, we rolled out new sod.

The plan was to have 12 artists on the lawn displaying their paintings.

Let's just say, Dexter had done a number on the grass, so I decided to replace it.

I also bought ten white azaleas, four Spanish lavenders and six white mums for color.

They replaced the dead and ratty lavender and geraniums that had been there way too long.

The hummingbirds love the new French lavender I planted in the front window boxes.

Even though my guests didn't get to hang out in my backyard, I ended up with a fresh, new space to enjoy anyway. Even on a gray day!

As you can see, Butter Kitty loves the new plants.

The Armchair Traveler Goes to Provence

Continuing with our armchair travel, today we head over to Provence!

We start our adventure in Nice.

Walking the narrow streets of old town, we stop for a little lunch, perhaps a beer...

Don't forget to look up!

The Mediterranean beckons, so let's take a day trip east of Nice, to Èze.

Looking back towards Nice...

Can you imagine living here? I sure can!

In Èze, our climb is rewarded with the most spectacular view of the French Riviera.

Now wasn't that worth it?

I supplement my photos with this one from Wikipedia, just so you can see where you are.

On the very top!

Time to cover some ground and dig deep into the heart of Provence.

We head west. First stop: Cannes.

Lifestyles of the rich and famous!

Wait, is that Brad and Angelina?

Next stop: Aix en Provence.

Remember to always be open to surprises when traveling.

Lucky for us, we just happen to be here for the weirdest parade ever!

Time to move on....

...to Avignon, with the Rhône river bordering one side and the home of the papacy in the 14th century.

Touring the Pope's Palace, we overlook the city.

There are beautiful churches here, of course.

And great shopping opportunities.

Just outside the preserved ramparts of Avignon is the wine country.

And the little, sleepy village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where the ancient ruins of the Pope's castle is located.

More Roman ruins in Orange.

We conclude our Provençal tour in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, my favorite city!

Yes, I saved the best till last.

Waking up here, we are pleasantly surprised that it's market day.

Everything from soup to nuts!

Actually, make that cheese....

sausage...

...and olives!

Among other things, like antiques, housewares and clothing.

It's time to go.

I know, I know, we barely scratched the surface in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.

We'll just have to come back another time. I hear there is an amazing brocante here twice a year.

Anyone want to go with? For real?

PS: For more L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue inspiration, visit Libby at An Eye For Detail.

She just returned from her trip last week and has some wonderful photos to share.