So much time has passed since my last "real" post, I'm not sure where to start or what to include.
Last week my in-laws flew in to spend Thanksgiving week with us (not with Stephanie and I but the grand kids - you parents know what I'm talking about). They flew in on Monday, several hours late due to weather and mechanical delays. We ate at Chilli's for supper. Monday I worked but I was off the rest of the week.
Tuesday I decided to do another one of those "quick" home projects. If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you know that inevitably when I start a home project, it's never quick or straight forward. This time the toilet in the half bathroom wouldn't stop running. So I bought all new guts plus a new shut off valve because it was now a slow-down valve but not a shut off valve. The plan was to do the work during the kids nap time, while my wife and her mom went shopping. This seemed an ideal time since I had to turn off the water to the house to replace the shut off valve. Replacing the valve went smoothly, with no issue (yeah!). Replacing the innards of the toilet did not. It should have been easy. I've put in a whole new toilet before without much issue, but every time I would attached the tank (I had to remove it to replace the old flush valve) and fill it with water, there would be a leak. First they started off big, like when I flushed the toilet and water squirted out from around where the tank meets the toilet. Finally, after I had lost count of the number of times I had taken the tank off and put it back on, it was down to a very slow leak, a single drop every 20-30 seconds. At that point I declared it good enough for the day and put a towel on the floor behind the toilet to catch the drops. The toilet could be used. Mind you, I had started around 1:00 p.m.. When I called it quits it was around 8:00 p.m. The rest of the family had gone to McDonald's for supper. Prior to attempting the toilet repairs I did replace a knob on a lamp that had been broken and after calling it quits I cleaned out the aerator in one of the sinks to make the water flow better, so I did have a couple of small victories. Once the family returned from supper we exchanged Christmas presents with Stephanie's parents. Good and fun stuff was given and received.
Wednesday was Stephanie's birthday. Before lunch Will helped Grandma make a birthday cake. After lunch we went to the Providence Children's Museum. The kids really enjoy going there, especially the "water" room where they get to splash and play with water and have permission to get wet. Afterwards we went to eat at On the Border, Stephanie's favorite restaurant. I let the waitress know it was her birthday, so she received the typical restaurant birthday cheer and a free dessert. Then we went home and did the birthday cake. The adults would have been fine skipping that but Will was insistent that a birthday needed a cake (and once the cake was served and eaten the birthday is over). Then came presents.
Thursday was, of course, Thanksgiving. It was a very relaxed day. The ladies chose to have our big Thanksgiving meal at supper so that they did not have to rush the preparations.
On Friday the in-laws left on a road trip to Niagara Falls with a detour through Vermont. The rest of us just relaxed - Stephanie read a book and I played with the kids.
On Saturday I tackled the toilet again. This time there were no more leaks. Thanks be to God. In the evening we got out the Christmas tree and decorated it. Both parents and all three kids got involved, even if the youngest, Ellie, was mostly taking the ornaments off the tree which were being put on by her older brothers :-).
Sunday we went to church, came home and did more of the Friday activities.
On Monday (of this week) I went back to work. Grandma and grandpa returned from their road trip, which they enjoyed a lot. We ate out at Friendly's.
Very early Tuesday morning Stephanie's parents flew out. I'm grateful that they had to return their rental car and so we did not have to take them =).
That's a synopsis of the last couple of weeks. Nothing significant to report for most of this week - got up, had quiet time, ate, got ready, went to work, ate, worked some more, came home, ate, played, put to bed, read, and went to bed.
Last week my in-laws flew in to spend Thanksgiving week with us (not with Stephanie and I but the grand kids - you parents know what I'm talking about). They flew in on Monday, several hours late due to weather and mechanical delays. We ate at Chilli's for supper. Monday I worked but I was off the rest of the week.
Tuesday I decided to do another one of those "quick" home projects. If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you know that inevitably when I start a home project, it's never quick or straight forward. This time the toilet in the half bathroom wouldn't stop running. So I bought all new guts plus a new shut off valve because it was now a slow-down valve but not a shut off valve. The plan was to do the work during the kids nap time, while my wife and her mom went shopping. This seemed an ideal time since I had to turn off the water to the house to replace the shut off valve. Replacing the valve went smoothly, with no issue (yeah!). Replacing the innards of the toilet did not. It should have been easy. I've put in a whole new toilet before without much issue, but every time I would attached the tank (I had to remove it to replace the old flush valve) and fill it with water, there would be a leak. First they started off big, like when I flushed the toilet and water squirted out from around where the tank meets the toilet. Finally, after I had lost count of the number of times I had taken the tank off and put it back on, it was down to a very slow leak, a single drop every 20-30 seconds. At that point I declared it good enough for the day and put a towel on the floor behind the toilet to catch the drops. The toilet could be used. Mind you, I had started around 1:00 p.m.. When I called it quits it was around 8:00 p.m. The rest of the family had gone to McDonald's for supper. Prior to attempting the toilet repairs I did replace a knob on a lamp that had been broken and after calling it quits I cleaned out the aerator in one of the sinks to make the water flow better, so I did have a couple of small victories. Once the family returned from supper we exchanged Christmas presents with Stephanie's parents. Good and fun stuff was given and received.
Wednesday was Stephanie's birthday. Before lunch Will helped Grandma make a birthday cake. After lunch we went to the Providence Children's Museum. The kids really enjoy going there, especially the "water" room where they get to splash and play with water and have permission to get wet. Afterwards we went to eat at On the Border, Stephanie's favorite restaurant. I let the waitress know it was her birthday, so she received the typical restaurant birthday cheer and a free dessert. Then we went home and did the birthday cake. The adults would have been fine skipping that but Will was insistent that a birthday needed a cake (and once the cake was served and eaten the birthday is over). Then came presents.
Thursday was, of course, Thanksgiving. It was a very relaxed day. The ladies chose to have our big Thanksgiving meal at supper so that they did not have to rush the preparations.
On Friday the in-laws left on a road trip to Niagara Falls with a detour through Vermont. The rest of us just relaxed - Stephanie read a book and I played with the kids.
On Saturday I tackled the toilet again. This time there were no more leaks. Thanks be to God. In the evening we got out the Christmas tree and decorated it. Both parents and all three kids got involved, even if the youngest, Ellie, was mostly taking the ornaments off the tree which were being put on by her older brothers :-).
Sunday we went to church, came home and did more of the Friday activities.
On Monday (of this week) I went back to work. Grandma and grandpa returned from their road trip, which they enjoyed a lot. We ate out at Friendly's.
Very early Tuesday morning Stephanie's parents flew out. I'm grateful that they had to return their rental car and so we did not have to take them =).
That's a synopsis of the last couple of weeks. Nothing significant to report for most of this week - got up, had quiet time, ate, got ready, went to work, ate, worked some more, came home, ate, played, put to bed, read, and went to bed.
4 comments:
I think you want to put a "m" in lamp so people know you aren't replacing a knob on anyone's "lap."
= ) = )
love, me
Your house is certainly a learning project in process! Hurrah for another success. Sounds like you had a fun week though even with the leaky toilet.
Much love, Mom
God stops all kinds of leaks, I'm hoping sink holes too.
Well Amy, He is God, so He could stop sink holes as well. I guess that would be an earth leak? I'm guessing your sidewalk/road eating hole has gotten worse.
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