Bathtub…Side Storage Ideas

I’m totally in love with my new soaking tub and having the lovely 24” Roku tv installed in the wall above it!  I spend so much time in the tub each night now.  It’s kind of addicting.  And with the tub being fully insulated, the water stays to warm for a good hour and a half without the need to add any additional hot water. 

Initially, there wasn’t enough hot water in our hot water tank to fill the tub the full 14” soaking depth.  So to remedy that, Steve cranked up the temperature of the hot water so that I could combine it with more cold water in order to fill it up and still have it hot.  There’s literally just enough now!

So now we have to decide what kind of storage to have custom made for the side of the tub.  I found a website with some great ideas.  But I think the one on there that’s most similar to what we had in mind is this one:

I say that because what we were thinking of is something with 2 open areas like this but with a sliding wooden barn-door style section in the center.  No drawers underneath as this shows, but a sort of display area on each side, maybe for wash cloths or candles…something neat and tidy…and then a true hidden storage area in the center that would hold the shampoo, conditioner, razor and shaving cream, soap, bath salts, and bubble bath.  That way, nothing is left out around the tub, and the area maintains a clean, tidy appearance.

It will probably be a while before we get to this finishing part, mainly because I have my second shoulder surgery scheduled for this Friday.  That’s going to tie me up for a few weeks between the sling for 2 weeks and the therapy appointments for at least 6 weeks.  I really want to get this finished, though!  I had thought that perhaps I’d take a sketched design to a custom cabinet place and try to get some quotes that way, but I”m not going to have time for that.  So now I’m thinking maybe I’ll call a bathroom remodeling company or a custom cabinet company and have them come out on site and give me some ideas and quotes. 

Either way, I’m hoping to get this finished sooner rather than later, but you know how those final touches can be the sticking points that hold things up from completion!

Good News, Bad News

The Good News

The good news is that hubby has continued working on our master bathroom renovation this weekend.  Last weekend, he got my soaking tub and Roman faucet installed.  This week, he put the backsplashes back up, and today, he spent the whole day cutting out a box in the wall above my tub and installing a 24” Roku tv!  He framed it out on the tub side and made it all pretty.  It’s really a focal point!  He’ll pretty it up some more with some trim paint and such, but I tried it out tonight and watched an entire movie while I soaked in a nice bubble bath!  It stayed so warm the whole time because of the insulation he installed around the tub, so I never had to add any hot water the whole time.  Impressive!

The next parts of the renovation involve caulking around the tub, putting the tile back down on the floor, and designing a custom cabinet to have made for us to install with a top on it that will fit on the entry side of the tub.  It will provide storage underneath so nothing ever has to sit out around the tub, and it will also provide a solid top for sitting and for setting things on while you’re in the tub.  That’s going to be a big project, and we’ll have to get some price quotes on building the custom cabinet.  I’m excited, though!  Everybody wants a turn in my tub now.

The Bad News

The bad news is that I saw my orthopedic surgeon this week for follow-up on my frozen shoulder.  He said it has barely improved since he last saw me in October.  Since it’s been 14 months since my shoulder surgery, and the frozen shoulder set in right after surgery, he said it’s clear that I’m in the 5% of patients that isn’t responding to traditional treatments and that I still have chronic inflammation in the joint.  So he said it’s time for more surgical intervention!  In less than two weeks, I have to go in for an Arthroscopic Capsular Release (ARC).  It will be outpatient surgery at the same center I went to for my first surgery.  It means 2 weeks in a sling during the day, more use of the ice machine, which I’ve never been able to discontinue after all this time, and still more Physical Therapy (PT) for 6 weeks thereafter.  I’ll probably have therapy twice a week plus follow a home therapy program on the other days.  They will basically go in and cut away the thickened portion of the ligaments around the joint capsule, moving my arm into full range of motion and then stitching it back up.  I’ll have full anesthesia, the nerve block, and the continuous numbing pump for the first couple of days at home, just like last time. 

After all the time and effort I’ve put into rehabbing my shoulder, it’s a big of a letdown to be starting all over again with another surgery.  The recovery is tough.  The first few days are intensely painful.  I made it through without pain meds last time, just because I have a high pain tolerance, and I don’t like pain meds.  But it was rough.  I’ll need help for a while.  It’s supposed to be healed up in 6 weeks, though, and there’s an 80% success rate at maintaining full range of motion.  I’m hoping I’m one of the lucky ones this time around.

I spent $5,000 out of pocket on my shoulder in 2019 alone.  I spent still more in 2020 on all the many months of physical therapy.  I’m still making payments on my 1st surgery, and it won’t be paid off until the end of this year.  Because of that, the surgeon said he would be willing to cut his surgery fees in half to help me out, and he said perhaps the others involved would do the same.  He also wants to do a Platelet-Rich Plasma injection during surgery to help with post-surgical inflammation.  It’s not covered by insurance, but he said he would talk to the vendor and get them to comp the kit so I won’t get charged for it.  Bless his heart!  I’m thankful he is able to help with some of the charges.  The outpatient surgery center alone charged me over $3,000 just for their facility fee last time, so I’m sure I’ll have that again this time.  Ugh.

Honestly, I’m dreading going down this road again.  But I also have the hope that maybe this will finally restore full use of my arm and take away the need for NSAID medication, topical NSAID gel that has been destroying my skin, and having to sleep with the ice machine every night.  I have not been able to sleep on my left side for about a year and a half.  I’ve always slept on that side, and I long to be able to do it again! 

Prayers appreciated!

Bathtub Woes…and Installing a New Tub and Faucet!

My bathtub faucet has been leaking on and off for a while now.  But recently, it has gotten so bad that it’s literally wasting buckets and buckets of water every single day!  It had almost become a trickle instead of a drip.  Hubby couldn’t fix it, because I have a cultured marble bathtub, and whoever installed in left no access whatsoever to the plumbing in the tub.  Now we began by filing a claim for the leaky faucet with Choice Home Warranty, but that was a waste of the $45 service fee, because all their contractors do is look for ways to say it’s excluded for one made up reason or another.  In this case, a plumber came in, sat on the side of the tub, and without even taking a tool from his belt, he said it needed a new faucet AND a new tub AND a mold remediator to come in and remove the inevitable mold underneath the tub.  Now this was because the cultured marble tub had a crack in it between the overflow and the drain.  We had already paid a marble company to come out and repair it when we first moved in, but after only a few months, it re-cracked in the same place.  So when I got a denial from the home warranty company, I found out that the plumber told them the faucet was rusted out and needed replacement, and rust is an exclusion in the policy.  I was so ticked!  I filed a grievance but never connected with the claims manager, and they didn’t respond to my email.  I hate them.  And we had *just* renewed for another 3 1/2 years…more wasted money.

So my husband said “screw them,” and he cut a hole for an access panel in the wall of my adjacent closet and got to work.  He discovered that in fact, the tub crack did go all the way through and was leaking, but only into the dirt hole around the drain, so no mold or anything at all…no additional damage to anything.  But this access he made also allowed him to get to the faucet plumbing.  So he said “forget about the plumber…we can do this ourselves!”  So we budgeted the $2,400 we got from the latest stimulus check, made a plan, and got to work.  We bought an almost $400 faucet, and we ordered a deep soaking tub from Amazon for about $850. 

Our tub had a tile step going up to it, so the tile had to be removed but saved to go on the floor in place of the step, and the step had to be removed. 

He also had to demolish the cultured marble tub while saving the wall splashes and the marble tub skirt to be reused.  He got all that done and proceeded to tackle the plumbing issues. 

He made a lot of trips to Home Depot for plumbing parts.  We discovered they had put a joint in the tub drain to relocate it, and that had to be removed so it would be in its original location to line up with the new tub, which was much larger than the tiny shallow tub we had before. 

When the faucet came, he had to solder some parts together in that kit, too, so he did that in the garage and then brought it inside.  Once he’d resolved the drain issues, he brought the new tub in and set it in place, dry-fitted everything, and then pulled the tub back out to add insulation.  This tub is against an outside wall next to the pool, and my bath gets cold really fast.  So he got a ton of cans of foam insulation and insulated the outside of the tub and left it to dry. 

Then he set it back in place, leveled it, and then set it in a little concrete for stability.  Then he installed the new faucet, the overflow, and hooked up the drain.  Although everything was still exposed, I was able to take a nice bath this evening in my new tub…yay!  Then I discovered that we only have a 50 gallon hot water tank on this side of the house, but my new tub holds 67 gallons!  I ran out of hot water before I could fill it all the way up.  Darn!  That’ll have to be another project for the future.  We may switch to a tankless hot water heater, because my daughter’s tub is also big, and we often run out of hot water…two people can’t bathe or shower around the same time.  But for now, he’s just going to raise up the temperature of the tank and see if we can get by with just that for now.

So now, he has to do all the finishing steps…putting the backsplashes back up, caulking around the tub, putting the tiles back down on the floor, etc.  That leaves an open side to the tub still…so we are trying to figure out how we want to enclose that.  We could just do a tub skirt, but we were thinking that since I no longer have a tub surround to set my shampoo and soap on, it would be nice to build in some custom cabinets on the front side of the tub, which also gives me a place to sit while I reach the faucets.  Because the faucet had to be installed on the side of this tub, I wanted it on the far side so it wouldn’t block the entry to the tub.  So now we just have to figure out how to finish that exposed side of the tub.  If we build in a nice cabinet with a top on it, it will give me a place to conceal my shampoo, condition, soap, razor, etc., which would be ideal.  I like a clean tub area without a bunch of stuff sitting out, so that would be my goal.  But we don’t have woodworking tools, so that limits our options.  Hubby thinks he can adapt some over-the-fridge cabinets to work there and just change out the doors, so we’ll have to see how that works out. 

In any case, there’s no more leaking tub and no more leaking faucet, so the immediate concerns are all resolved.  Now we just have to make it look nice!  And in terms of finishing touches, we also planned to make an inset shelf in the wall above the tub and install a 24” smart tv inside.  Woo-hoo!  We budgeted about $100 for a Roku tv, and I found one at Walmart.  It’s here and waiting for installation.  Now hubby has to make the box in the wall and add trim, run power there, install the tv with its mount, and I’ll be ready to soak and watch tv!  Also, he has to put trim around the access he made in my closet and finish that off.

I’m not entirely confident we are capable of finishing off the front side of the tub the way we envision, so we may have to call in a custom cabinet company or something like that to finish off the job, but at least the problems have been addressed.  And just for the record, I want to reiterate that there was no mold, and the original faucet had NO RUST, either!  It just needed a gasket.  But whatever.  I despise Choice Home Warranty company.

So wish us luck on the finishing touches of this project!  And good job, honey!  Problems resolved.

One More Burgess Birthday…and Celebrate Meatless Mondays @ Starbucks!!!

So my dear, sweet husband, Steve, turned the big 50 on Thursday!  He said he only felt one day older than he felt the day before!  LOL.  Carrot cake is his favorite, but since we had just finished off our son’s birthday cake, which was carrot cake, and my own chocolate cake the day before, he decided to fall back on our old favorite, the Carvel Ice Cream Cake.  We used to get the Uncle Harry’s version (a local Va. Beach company) when we lived in VA…we’d get a big one, cut it in half, and use half for my birthday and half for his birthday.  It’s half vanilla and half chocolate ice cream, split by a layer of chocolate crunchies, which make the whole thing, and topped with whipped cream frosting.  It’s delicious!  We got the medium size, and it’s already gone!  It’s funny, because it actually contains no cake at all…it’s just ice cream!

 

We capped off our celebration by making a trip to Red Robin so Steve, Holden, and I could all get our free birthday burgers for dinner this evening.  The dining room was closed, but we were able to order and take it to go.  And that ends our string of winter holidays and birthdays!

Now for a great deal to share with all of you…Starbucks announced they are celebrating Meatless Mondays throughout January.  So for the next 3 Mondays, you can order a meatless breakfast item and get $2 off!  That means I can order my favorite Spinach Feta Wrap for just $2!  I’ll be there with bells on.  I haven’t had one in years, and it packs 20 grams of protein for just 290 calories!  It also has 3 grams of fiber.  The combination of spinach, feta cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes coupled with egg whites in a whole grain wrap is just irresistible!

Enjoy!

REVIEW: Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership by SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Disclosure: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew.

There’s so much material to peruse in the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership by SchoolhouseTeachers.com, so we wanted to give a review and highlight some of its features for you.

WHAT IS IT?:

The Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership at SchoolhouseTeachers.com gives you access to what is now a complete curriculum for all students in grades PK through 12th grade.  So if you’ve checked out the website prior to 2020, then you may want to take another look.  Before that time, it offered lots of supplemental courses and materials, but last year, it began offering a full curriculum for every grade level.

You can explore courses sorted by “school boxes,” by specific grade level, or by subject in order to find the courses that are right for you.  This includes core subjects, the arts, and other electives.  There is also an extensive streaming library and other resources that can be used to supplement many topics you might be studying.

Right now through January 31st, you can get an annual membership for just $139 for your entire family with code “START139,” or get a monthly family membership for just $16/month with code “START16.”

OUR EXPERIENCE:

We’re over halfway through our school year already since we homeschool year-round from June-May, so I didn’t need any full courses at this time.  So for this review, I decided to focus on more of the supplemental materials that are available with your membership. 

I’ve always been a huge fan of the Drive-Thru History series, so I was pleased to find both the American History series and the Ancient History series available on the website.  They could be used as video-based courses complete with worksheets and quizzes or as single episodes for your viewing enjoyment in the streaming library.

I found myself drawn to episode 9 of Drive-Thru History: American History, because it took me on a journey through Virginia, which is where I lived for 39 years.  Virginia is so rich with history that we made a point to use our vacation time to explore different historical sites each year.  I’ve taken my family to both George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, as well as Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello.  Monticello was my favorite place, because it is right in the heart of the Shenandoah Mountains, which I think is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.  So I particularly enjoyed this video, as it brought back lots of fond memories of historic VA.

 

There’s also a whole Resources section that has a plethora of good stuff ready for the taking.  I love cooking and baking and trying new recipes, so I was really excited when I discovered a whole Monthly Menu section with links to recipes for every day of the year!  I saw lots of good stuff that I’m anxious to try.  I love all things pumpkin, and not just in the fall.  The November menu was absolutely filled with recipes for yummy pumpkin goodies, including Pumpkin Cream Puffs!  This got me excited, because my sister used to make us cream puffs when we were kids, and I never learned how to make them.  They are one of my fondest childhood memories, so I’m looking forward to trying out this recipe!  I would imagine it would be simple enough to change out the flavor of the filling to whatever you’re in the mood for just by blending in a different flavor each time.  Awesome!

Also in the Resources section, there is a whole are on seasonal resources that brings together links to tons of activities and lessons related to various holidays throughout the year.  So if you’re looking for themed activities to help celebrate a holiday, that’s a great place to go.

Most homeschoolers use some kind of planner, whether you prefer a printable physical planner or a digital one.  In the Planning section, you can access your choice of planners.  For instance, there is the renowned Schoolhouse Hey Mama Planner that you can download and customize to print your own physical planner, or you can access the AppleCore online planning program. 

I think every time I explore the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership at SchoolhouseTeachers.com, I come across something new that I hadn’t seen before.  I also receive an email each month that highlights new courses that are being added all the time.  The cool thing about it is that regardless of how many people there are in your family or what their ages are, there’s something for everyone in this family membership!

Take a look at what other Crew members have to say about this membership by clicking the banner below.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year…and a Couple of Birthdays, Too!

This is always a busy time of year for us.  First, there’s Christmas.  Everybody was home for a nice Christmas evening dinner, so that was cool.  We used my rec room craft table, which used to be our big dinner table in VA.  I had set it with a nice blue & white Christmas decor.  Hayden slipped out to spend time with his girlfriend’s family as soon as dinner was done, and I was on the phone with my sister at the time.  Unfortunately, that meant we never did get our annual family photo in front of the tree.  Ugh!  I get nervous when that happens, because with a son who is 21, I always wonder if this will be the last Christmas where all my kids still live at home.

Then just 3 days later, it’s my youngest son’s birthday.  Holden turned the big 13!  No more little kids in my house…only teenagers and adults!  Isn’t he so handsome?  I sure do love him.

Then just a week after Christmas, my own birthday falls on New Year’s Day.  Hayden had to work that day, but he slipped home long enough to sing and eat cake before Haylee had to go to work, too.  I turned 49 this year!  It’s my last year before I’m officially “over the hill!”

Check out that cake!  It’s my favorite, and I order it from the Kroger bakery every year.  It’s a 1/4 chocolate sheet cake with chocolate whipped cream, strawberries in gel and chocolate curls on top, and sliced strawberries down the sides.  So yummy!

Now this Thursday, it will be Steve’s birthday, too.  He’s turning 50!  But for now, we get to spend a few days being the same age.  For our birthdays, we decided to buy a 1912 Victrola phonograph for ourselves.  It’s gorgeous!  It’s in a mahogany cabinet.  We bought it with 91 records for $450 from a retired couple in Hurst, TX.  It was a little pricey, but it’s in really good condition, and the mahogany matches our living room perfectly.  It was nice not to need to fix anything major or to have to hunt for records and needles to get started.  Also, this particular 1912 model is a little lesson common, so it’s worth a bit more than most.  It has an internal horn.

 

I am absolutely in love with it!  Today, we had a nice family breakfast while everyone was at home, and then Steve and I slipped out to the Montgomery Street Antique Mall by the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens and visited a record shop in there called Doc’s Records to look for more shellac phonograph records.  Bingo!  We really hit the jackpot.  He had 2 crates underneath a table that were labeled as 78 rpm shellac records for just 25 cents each!  We took everything that wasn’t broken, and we paid under $13 including tax for 48 records!  Such a steal.  I spent the rest of the day listening to each one and cataloguing them in my spreadsheet that I’d already set up with the records that came with the Victrola.  I also set up a “my collection” list on the Discogs website.  All that took me about 6 hours, but it was worth it!  And all of the music we got today was fabulous.  I’ve decided that my favorite era of music is the 1940’s!  I now have 18 different Bing Crosby records, so I’m really happy about that.  Now we want to keep an eye on that record store in the antique mall to see when he might add some more.  He has a huge separate record store somewhere in town, but I think he takes his overstock to the antique mall and sells everything much cheaper for a flat price.  That’s what I’m looking for.  He ought to be pleased that we cleaned him out!  Now I’m on a hunt for a Bluebird record from 1946 that has Glen Miller with Moonlight Serenade on one side and Sunrise Serenade on the other side.  It seems to sell for a bunch, so I’m hoping to just run across it somewhere locally.  Moonlight Serenade has always been one of my favorite songs, and I feel like it’s just so well-suited for the sound of a phonograph.  Not a day has gone by that I haven’t played records on this Victrola!  I’m totally enamored with it.

Well, that’s it for now!  I’ll have a photo from Steve’s birthday for you next week!  I will be skipping my favorite recipe posts for a couple of weeks since we have been making special meals and treats for all of these holidays and birthdays instead of doing our traditional meal plan.  Unfortunately, all the goodies have added 5 pounds to me!  Ugh.  I’ll be back to the usual meal plan soon enough.

Happy New Year!