Kitty in the House

During a torrential downpour a couple weeks ago, Luke went to the basement to check out the sub pump. While he was down there he heard some strange noises. He thought it was an intruder but it wasn't (well in a way it was)...It was a cat! We thought it was an outside tomcat (we have a lot of those around here) but as we were trying to put it back outside we noticed it had a collar. We called the number only to find out that the cat belonged to our neighbors two doors down and had been missing for 2 months! Two days later a lovely basket full of organic groceries was placed on our doorstop. I'm loving this neighborhood more and more.

And here is a picture I snapped while Luke was trying to catch the frightened kitty. She ran up some duct work and dug into some newly insulated pipes. It's perfect for a "hang in there" inspirational poster!

Master Bathroom Progress

We are only one (or two) steps away from master bathroom completion. Hurry up tile man! We actually haven't completely decided on tile yet. Our vanity is black. Our sink and tub are white. All of our fixtures are chrome. So what color complements those choices? We still have a couple weeks to figure that part out.
Anyways, I finally found my USB cable and I can now post pictures of our progress...

It took a while to get to the sub floor. On top of it was hardwood, two layers of linoleum, and laminate flooring. Then there was the sand. I guess they used it to even out the laminate flooring. What a pain.
Once the demo of the old kitchen was complete we reinforced the floor joists (to support the weight of the tub) and hired the plumbers. We definitely aired on the side of caution with the floor joists. Now it is the worlds strongest bathroom floor!

Here is luke in the newly plumbed room. You can see the copper shower plumbing to his left and the new vanity wires in front of him. Working simultaneously with the plumbers and electricians was complicated. There were live wires everywhere. One day a plumber shocked himself and turned off all of the breakers in fear. Unfortunately he turned off the sub pump as well causing our basement to flood. Just another bump in the road I guess.
Luke used this floor lamp to light the bathroom while he was working in it. What a trooper!

I love our new tub. It's an Americh Air bath. Instead of one or two jets hitting in you an awkward place, an Air bath provides an all over body massage. It's kind of like sitting in a bubbly glass of champagne. You can also put anything in it, even mud. After the tub has emptied, hot air shoots through the holes and cleans out the system. Well, all that stuff should happen...unless we broke it moving if through the bathroom door.

I have no idea how Luke knew how to build the tub deck. I'm not sure he has built anything like this before, but it looks great. Luke built it, so of course it's extra strong.

Now this is really looking like a bathroom! Luke finished off the tub deck and built the frame for the shower. My best friends brother put up the drywall. Instead of pulling down the paneling on the ceiling, we drywalled over it. The new recessed lighting looks great. I thought that 3 cans and two vanity lights wouldn't be enough, but it seems pretty bright in here.
Now it needs a new window...