Have we lost our marbles... or pebbles?

Matt and I had a productful Saturday combing the western suburb stores that carry tile for the perfect combination of style, substance, and slipperiness (or non-slipperiness).

We walked in wanting smaller tiles on the basin (uh, duh I figured out that it has to be small because of the pitch for the drain... and here I thought I was being original), the same tiles in a larger size for the shower wall (repeat on the floor), and a cool mosaic border.

We walked out with (well, not walked out, we haven't ordered it yet):

• pebble tile for the shower floor (Maluku Tan from Island Stone)
  

• marble for the walls and floor (Freemont beige)
  

• no cool mosaic, instead repeating the pebbles as the border

Well, what do you think? Is that not possible the funnest -- yes, the funnest -- idea around?

Now these 2 don't look like they match here, but they did in the showroom. And beige, that non-existent color, is usually not an option for Matt and I, but we thought -- since it's so permanent - we'd play it safe and then jazz hands the walls with a great color and some artwork I got when I was in Singapore in '99 (Yep, never hung it up).

And we also took a trip to a Kohler bath store so Matt could get up close and personal with the vanity I wanted. He still wasn't keen on it, and then he saw the most amazing vanity with this red sink top...

... and we both fell gaga over it. Then we gaga'ed some more when we got the price quote of $2000 (that with the discount). And then suddenly that other vanity was looking a lot more charming (especially with the newly chosen pebbles and marble combo).

Very soon -- I predict this Sunday -- we will finally start the demo and uncover the demon (add an "n" and demo becomes demon, how clever) that's lurking behind the shower. If you never hear from me again, you'll know what got me.

Good night.

Bathroom vanity

Can someone convince Matt that this is the vanity that we must have in the bathroom, and that no other would look as cool?I saw this vanity in a show room months ago and went gaga over it. Matt's response was, "It's okay." Ahhh! Okay? [sad sigh] I think this vanity looks Zen, Mid-century, and Biedermeier all at the same time and I just LOVE it. I'm salivating over it's clean lines and the decoration on the veneer, the flared legs ...

If not ... (and then I would be sad) ... our other options are another small vanity such as these we both liked. Pros: Small, cute, has a drawer. Cons: Open shelving not practical, too traditional?:

Or to do a pedastal sink - we don't have a lot of room, it's a tiny bathroom. We have one in there now and it works.

L'Anne ... 5th Anniversary

Matt and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary tonight at L'Anne in Wheaton. It was such a fabulous meal, I couldn't wait to write about it.

Alas, no photos -- I completely forgot my camera and the place is very intimate so it might have been odd if I whipped out my clunky old Fuji camera.

We heard this place was an excellent choice for special occasions, especially since it was intimate and expensive. So we waited until our 5th anniversary to go, even though we live close by. We are now kicking ourselves for this. We should have been going here all along. The food is expensive, but no more expensive than any good restaurant - we're not talking Chili's here. It really was no more than one of our favorite places, but for some reason we thought it was.

The menu changes almost daily, whatever is fresh. The specialty is mostly seafood and it's flown in daily from the east coast. The chef also goes and picks out all his own meats and produce of the highest quality. The menu is broken out into 1st course (appetizers), 2nd course (soup/salads), and entrees.

We started with martinis. Matt had a pepper vodka martini with a chili floating in it. I had a ginger vodka martini with cointreau. I'm still buzzing.

Matt and I had 2 appetizers: salmon tartare on brioche with avocado, watercress and a lemon soy sauce, as well as excellent scallops with bacon in a peppercorn sauce.

For 2nd course: I had the famous cream of mushroom soup, and Matt had a tempura calamari salad with an herb dressing.

Our entrees were: lemongrass marinated pork chops with a sweet banana in a ponzu sauce; I had the salmon with bok choy and basil in a lovely soy broth. Wow - everything was so good we couldn't stop talking about it.

Plus our server -- who might have been the owner - was so friendly, helping us choose our wines and giving us recommendations. She was so knowledgeable that it was a pleasure talking with her.

For dessert, the chef makes around 6-7 pastries and plates 3 of them for each person. So Matt and I got 2 plates with 6 different desserts we split, which included lava cake, apple tart, creme brulee, puff pasry with cream and fruit, crepes suzette ...

I can't say enought about how good the food was - so fresh, so well prepared, and delicious. We can't wait to go back and bring more people, and recommend it to others.

Yum. I wish I were back there eating all over again....

Evil Fish

We were walking through an Art Fair one weekend and we came upon a man who collects metal scrap and turns them into garden art. So automatically Matt and I fell in love with everything.

He made dogs, cats, even a caterpillar, flowers, and a huge motorcycle. But what Matt and I wanted was something that would stand out in our pint sized backyard filled with patches of purple phlox and annabelle hydrangeas tumbling between the picket fence.

You know, something that would add character and a bit of whimsy to our quaint little garden. Like ... an Evil Fish that stands 7-1/2 ft tall?

Got one of those Mister?

2008: Year of the Bathroom

Instead of the Chinese Calendar, we here at Ramblings live by the Home Renovation Calendar. In other words...2005 was Year of the Family Room, 2006 was Year of the Kitchen, 2007 was Year of the Dining Room/Living Room and 2008 ... well, so far we haven't done anything yet.

For a while we were real home renovation mavens and then we just pooped out, deciding to take it easy and not live with drywall dust and paint for a few months. A few months meaning 9 mos. apparently. It's been great not having furniture stored in every room or a washing machine parked in the middle of your family room, but I'm worried if we take too much of a break we won't finish what needs to get done.

So we've decided the rest of 2008 will be Year of the Bathroom. The Lower Level bathroom to be exact.

Here's some background info:
When we moved in, in 2005, the bathrooms had been recently done within a few years. We were happy to have 2 rooms -- expensive rooms -- that we didn't have to fix immediately. Here's a picture of the downstairs bathroom.It's cute with a pedastal sink, and the old homeowner faux painted walls. Not my style entirely but who cares - it's nice and new.

But what's that on the other side .... the shower?? [Psycho music] ahhhhh! Mold, gook, ooze, funk... Help!



Yes, this is a most funky, foul shower which Matt and I have to subject ourselves too. And no amount of cleaning will do. Trust me. (Plus I made sure it was extra grimy for the photos just so we have ample reason on WHY we need to redo this bathroom.)

The problem is this cheap plastic shower surround the owners put up. They connected the 2 pieces with silicon which expands and contracts. Now water is seeping in and that's why we have all the lovely mold growing in the shower as well as oozing out by the baseboards and wall. Even the shower doors must have a leak because that too has icky grimy crap all over it.

Either the shower install is VERY NEW, or the old owners never used it.

Our plan is to:

• Re-build the shower with actual masonry, tile, etc - no plastic and no silicon. While we're at it, I want a complete spa-shower with huge shower head and body sprays. This is our main shower area so I want LUX.
• Replace the toilet with a low-flow new one to save on water.
• Replace sink
  
• Replace tile floor
• Tile up the walls half-way, and paint the rest
• Replace mirror
• And if we can, maybe replace the window.

Here are some inspiration photos from the Kohler website.

Block Party

I talk a lot about Matt on my blog - sometimes I like to poke fun at him. But that's only because I love him so much and because he's funny and has funny quirks that I like to joke about. Matt likes to make fun of me too, but he doesn't keep a blog. Oh well. Here's a Matt story:

Last weekend, we attended our first block party. [This should give you a hint to where this is going.] A nice lady from down the street came over with our invitation saying it was the first block party for the neighborhood and they wanted to extend the invite to the people across the busy street that divides our 2 neighborhoods. She was such a nice older lady and we hung out at the door talking.

Of course, I was ecstatic to meet new people. We know most of the families in the immediate area because we have these monthly get-togethers, but this was going to be all new people who live on streets where Matt and I always walk - wouldn't it be nice to say hello and actually know the neighbors?

So I told Matt about it and he said nothing. He doesn't say anything because he'll hope that I'll forget the existence of this party. If he says, "I'm not going" off the bat, then I'll be mad and accuse him of being anti-social. He's learned to say nothing, let me forget about it, and then when I remember the next day, he can say, "Oh no!" And then he's off the hook.

Oh ... but in this story, I didn't forget. I called to RSVP while Matt stood by. When I was on hold waiting for the husband to pass the phone to his wife, Matt said, "I don't want to go." I ignored him and RSVP'd for 2 people. After I got off, he said, "I thought we'd go up to Lake Geneva that weekend." I ignored him again.

The rest of the week, he counted on his fingers the days until this impending doom.

The Saturday of the block party arrived and we acted normal all day, all the while I could feel Matt's heavy thoughts throughout the house praying that I'd get a stomach ache or forget entirely. But I didn't and when I left to go to the store to get drinks and appetizers to bring, he could feel the reality inching closer. When I jumped in the shower, the beads of sweat started to form. When I got dressed, he raised his head off the couch, "I really don't want to go to this."

"It's just down the street, we can go for an hour. Ray [our neighbor] will be there."
"Ughgr..."
"Fine. I'll go alone, I don't care."
"Rughrhggrrr..."
"Are you coming or not!?!"

He sighed a very long sigh and went to get dressed.

Imagine Matt was a Barbie Doll, this would be "You're Forcing Me to a Neighborhood Block Party Matt" equipped with accessories of lime green cooler, a bottle opener, and plenty of beer.
So we left and walked, what had to be for Matt, the most grueling walk ever. I think he was still saying, I don't want to go, but his legs kept moving. I felt like a mom dragging her kid to piano lessons who finally just says, "Stop your whining, I'll pick you up in an hour." This is good practice for me.

At the Block Party, I see no one I know and a lot of kids. I can just feel Matt ready to kill me for dragging him to this, and I'm almost ready to say, "I'm sorry." Then I see Ray and I tell Matt, "Go talk to Ray."

"Oh no, I'm not leaving your side," was his answer. Oh boy, this is going to be a long hour, I thought.

I went to the table to sign up and get our nametags and I see our next door neighbors names on the list and said, "Look," I said trying to sound chipper, " C____ and T___ are going to be here."

"But I don't see them!" He said looking around. I was almost ready to give up on him when we were putting out our hummus on the "Even Numbered Houses Appetizer Table," when some friendly neighbors came up to talk to us. Relief ... and smooth sailing from there.

"UnHappy Block Party Matt" was soon transformed; we cracked open some beers, talked to more people, ate some good food, and we even met some people our age... oh, and our neighbors did eventually show up.

I left the block party 3.5 hours later accompanied by "Thanks for Dragging me to the Block Party Matt" and all was well.

Flying the "Alcatraz" skies

Editor's Note: Since this was written, United decided to scrap the idea of paying for meals on International flights. Thank you United.

______________

I just saw in the Tribune that United Airlines will charge for meals on International flights (link to an article, not the Tribune). Flying nowadays is starting to resemble time in a prison cell – oh wait, they get food.

I’ve been on enough International flights to know that the meals are hardly gourmet food, but when you’re stuck in the air for 8+ hours, next to some stranger who’s probably leaching into your seat and the in-flight movie is something like Big Mama’s House, the meal is the one bright shining star. A plastic wrapped dinner roll never looked so good.

So why are they charging? They need more revenue and something to distinguish first-class from coach.

I thought what distinguished first-class from coach were the bigger seats, the nicer flight attendants, the gourmet (real gourmet) food on real china with real forks and knives, free booze, the fluffier cleaner pillow and blanket, and the “welcome aboard, here’s your champagne” greeting.

Apparently that wasn’t enough.

Well if United needs more help to distinguish First from Coach – essentially making us pay for everything so that the final bill resembles First class anyway – here are some ideas:

1) Charge us to use the bathroom
2) Charge us a breathing rate – after all, oxygen on flight is a precious commodity.
3) Wanna do the crossword in the in-flight magazine? That’ll cost you $3.50 for the magazine.
4) Blanket or pillow? Ante up. (Actually, I think this is actually going to happen).
5) No more free drinks, and ice? An extra $1.00.
6) No more gate service. If you want to get on your plane, you’ll have to walk the tarmac. First class gets limo service.