Edges Like Sea Glass

By Leah LaRocco

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Home From California…Sans Turquoise Skinnies

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After being in LA for a week of excitement at work and June gloom weather, it was good to return to the nest.  I knew I’d been in LA too long when I found myself contemplating a pair of turquoise skinny jeans at Urban Outfitters.  It was time to go.  I love my job and the people I work with are simply amazing, fabulous, human beings who I feel so blessed to know.  But for the first time in a long time, I wanted to be back in TN taking care of things before the parental units arrived today.  Let me take you on my little journey home.

The bathroom is nearing completion!!!  I have never been so excited to take a shower.  Washing my hair in the kitchen sink was a nightmare, but thank goodness it was short lived.  There are still things to do, but this is what’s happened in the bathroom.

The new vanity is firmly in place, replete with glass hardware from Anthropologie (on sale for $2.99!!!) and a new high efficiency toilet has been installed, purchased from Costco for less than $100.  Don’t worry, a new mirror is coming, the one in the picture is just there to help out right now.

 Sink faucets are expensive!!!  This cool looking modern one was listed on Overstock.com for $139.99, so I went on Ebay and ordered the knock-off version for $36.  The only problem was the hoses that came with it weren’t a standard size, so Rob spent some serious time with the plumbing “specialist” at Home Depot figuring that one out.  And who knew Target carried such adorable soap dispensers!  Thanks to a stay with my friends in LA who took me to Target to buy my very own copycat version of theirs 🙂

Here’s a picture of the completed shower tile, but this just can’t do it justice.  There are pretty sparkly parts and it’s all blue and green and sea-glass-ish.  I love it!  If only I could take all my readers in the shower with me to experience the awesomeness that is this tile….but well, that would be all kinds of awkward. 

A lot has been happening in the yard as well.  When I was mowing the lawn I noticed that the roof had been knocked clean off the bluebird house.  I looked inside and there were four perfect blue eggs.  Bluebirds and robins are in the same bird family so the eggs look very similar.

I put the roof back on the house and banged the nails in, but I was very concerned about how long the eggs had been left uncovered.  Today I saw the mama bluebird telling some other bird off and waving her wings around like she was a NYer defending her right to eat hot dogs from a street vendor.  Hopefully the eggs will survive and my little bluebird family will fly happily into the sunset.

There’s also been some action in the weeping cherry tree on the front lawn.  Those of you who know me well know that I am a total nerd when it comes to butterflies.  I raised them as a kid, then as a teenager, and am still quite obsessed with them.  I love butterflies and moths.  They bring such beauty into the world for a fleeting time.  I think they are magical.  Eventually when I figure out the backyard I want to have a garden with plants that will attract them, but for now, I was thrilled to find this chrysalis.  My caterpillar/chrysalis identification book is buried in a box somewhere, but I’ll eventually be able to tell what it is.  It could be a moth considering the shell is covered with leaves, but moths don’t tend to hang as much as butterflies do while in this phase.  I liken this to finding a Tiffany bag under the Christmas tree!

I have some sad news…I think one of my Purple Leaf Plums has some kind of borer in the bark.  The tree has looked weak since I moved here, but half of it is dead and it’s not looking good.  I hope it can survive.  Dad was a horticulturist and used to inspect greenhouses for plant diseases so I need to see what he thinks. 

I bought a rug!!!!  The living room rug was super tricky, but after looking at thousands of rugs online, I settled on this “deco inspired” one because it ties in the black of the fireplace with the cream color of the furniture.  The walls will be a pretty light green called “Recycled Glass” and it’ll look much more colorful once it gets painted. 

People always ask me about “The East End” pillow.  I bought it at Hildreth’s in Southampton, Long Island.  It’s what the locals call the North and South Forks of the island.  Historically it used to only refer to the South Fork, but everyone on the North Fork says they live on The East End too, so I’m claiming it.

And lastly, I leave you with a flower.  My dad has a way with plants and I can only hope I inherited half of his magical green thumb.  A great pastime of his is hybridizing daylilies, which is creating his own varieties by cross pollinating plants.  I planted several along my front walk and since the first bloom they all sent up second shoots of buds.  This one was open to greet me when I came home.  None of them are named, so perhaps I shall call this one “Welcome Home.”

Adventures In Bathroom Tiling

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It has been a very busy week for the bathroom.  Rob has done such an incredible job getting all the tile down, so let me tell you what’s been going on.  After he pulled up the subfloor and laid down 1/4 inch Hardie backer as a new subfloor, he started the tiling process with the Snow White subway tiles I got from Home Depot.  They were very reasonably priced and came on a 12″x12″ sheet.

We realized shortly into the process that it would have helped immensely if white mortar had been used instead of gray, but it actually made me realize that I wanted to keep the detail and not use white grout. The second day we grouted and washed…what a process!!! I felt like Jill running up the hill to fetch her pail of water, over and over again.  But it came out so great!  There is a light gray grout in between the white tiles which gives them a subtle definition that looks lovely.

With the floor tile down, we were ready to move onto the tub surround!  I chose a tile called Vineyard Glass by Jeffrey Court, also available online from Home Depot.  I wanted to find glass tile that had blues and greens to create a beachy feel.  What resulted was something Mediterranean that really makes me think of home with the green wine bottles from the different local vineyards.

Here’s what we did.  It was important to tape plastic around the tub so none of the mortar or grout got stuck in the non-slip surface (thank you, Virginia, for that tip).  We used white mortar this time, and didn’t have to worry about cutting any of the tiles. Rob only had to cut one small strip off the end tile for the back wall and the two side walls worked out perfectly as well, thank goodness!

After all the tile was all up, we began the grouting process all over again.  This time using non-sanded grout which Rob compared to cake icing.  It went on very smoothly without the grit of the sand, which worked great for the small tiles.  These glass tiles were rather fragile and some chips were discovered after grouting.  I’m pretty convinced that sanded grout would have destroyed them.

You can see the difference the white grout makes.  I was worried the tile was going to be too dark once a shower curtain was put up, but the white grout lightened it up beautifully and really added some dimension.

Once we got the grout washed off (Jill running up the hill again), it was simply gorgeous.  I could not be happier with the result!

Police Force Skunk Drama

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On Saturday morning, the neighbors and I noticed a little baby skunk meandering through my yard.

Now, you can see how small this thing is, and it struck fear into the hearts of those with outdoor pets, and I myself have been more careful at night after thinking one was a “kitty” several nights ago.  Rob and I headed to Home Depot for tiling supplies and Lindsay let me know she was going to call animal control.

The little guy hobbled around while we left.  At Home Depot I get a call from Lindsay that the entire police force of Franklin had descended to take down my skunk.  We came home to this…

No fewer than 4 cop cars lined the street, along with animal control.  They had their guns out and one guy had a rather intimidating automatic rifle at the ready should the baby skunk decide to attack.  I’m sure this peaked the curiosity of the neighbors, who saw enough police for a murder scene in the front yard of the “new girl.”  I reiterate, we are dealing with a baby skunk here, people.  At one point the animal control guy got on his hands and knees to look under the porch and the cop standing next to me said, “Oh, that is brave.”

Apparently, two skunks were caught last week and both were rabid.  This one was exhibiting signs of rabies, so sadly, it needed to be dealt with.  The little guy parked himself under my front porch and refused to budge, in spite of hose spraying and lots of banging.  The problem being that if he sprayed, my entire house would smell for months.  They left a humane trap baited with a can of cat food.

A couple hours later, he was happily munching on cat food in the trap.

Animal control came back, covered him with a large bag and drove him to another life.  It was bittersweet seeing him go, but at least the neighborhood pets will be safe.  The mama “kitty” is still roaming around, but hopefully she will stay nocturnal and non-smelly.  Until our next wildlife adventure!

An Ode To Moving With Cats

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For those of you who own cats, you understand the challenges involved with changing their environment.  They are sensitive little creatures who resist change and live contentedly, staring out windows and watching life pass by.  My two little bengals are quite pleasant to live with until I do disrupting things like take them to the vet, bring them to work when I get my carpet changed, or move.  To give you an indication of what the past couple of days have been like, I present you with Maddox and Myrtle.

 

There have been some tense times over here at the new house.  They arrived just before midnight on Wednesday after all the furniture had been moved.  Meows were heard round the clock as they adjusted to the new planet they had just landed on.  Myrtle discovered she fits under my bed, which is a good place for her to hide since Maddox has taken to beating her up while belligerently hissing her out of every room in the house.  Maddox walked around growling and being cranky in general.  The introduction to the new home did not go well, and as their “mom” I couldn’t help but feel guilty for screwing up their little world.

People would say to me, “Oh, they’ll love all the extra room they have to roam.” Or, “They’ll enjoy having a yard and lots more windows to peek out of.”  Sadly, these perks seem to have escaped their notice at first glance. They seem to be starting to slowly adjust though as they figure out where the furniture has landed.

When morning came they finally realized there are lots of new windows for them to explore!

I’ve dealt with my own guilt by being rather lenient about things like sitting on the dining room table, but if I’m honest, this is a habit I have never been able to break Maddox of no matter how much yelling and shenanigans I put on.  Look how smug he his about it!

They really do bring so many smiles and much joy to me.  If you’re a cat lover, I would highly suggest reading James Herriot’s “Cat Stories.”  The book is absolutely endearing and made me appreciate the little critters even more.  Hopefully all of the madness will pass quickly and we will go back to being the happy little family we once were.