things I like and things I love...

 I like projects.  I like to plan them, and I like other people to help me actually do them.  No sooner did we get the guest room finished and then started the bathroom project.  Paul started to rip up the tile and decided not to.  We are just going to put the flooring on top of it.  He removed the old vanity, and cut the back piece to fit in to the floor where the tile ended, because the new flooring will cover the whole floor (the tile was installed after we had been here a while, and the vanity wasn't moved, so the tile just went up to the vanity and not underneath it)

It's always awful in the middle of a project.  Once he gets the new flooring in, the new vanity can go in, but the new faucets don't arrive until Thursday.  I am keeping the mirrors until I find something I love, so maybe forever, ha.  Same with the light fixture.  I have a new one that I bought months ago, but don't really like it.  We're hoping to put a beadboard backsplash, and beadboard on the other walls just halfway up.  Paul is like...um, do we have to?  um.  yes.  :). Go big or go home, right?  We probably won't be redoing this bathroom again, in our lifetimes?  So we may as well make it lovely.  "We" as in "he".  

So I had a color in mind for this bathroom: 

Just that color, so lovely!  The girls are vetoing.  They say no more blue.  To be fair, look back at what color the bathroom is now, ha.  

This is the shower curtain I bought...it has subtle beige and white stripes behind the floral...

So the paint will probably be a neutral.  Light tan, creamy white.  I'll just go to the paint store and peruse the samples.  

Anyway.  I like updating things.  We're thinking some wood shelves behind the toilet, just to warm up the vibe...we'll see.  

We're watching Newton here for a bit.  

He's so cute.  Sunny lights up when he comes over.

This fine day Grace is getting married.  If you've read here for any length of time, you know who Grace is.  I was there for her birth, her mama is my niece Katie.  She grew up with Sonja.  Mariel and I offered to make the cake and cupcakes for the wedding, and we did.  It's always a stress fest, when the baking is for something so important, but so far so good.  Mariel made four carrot cakes, I made the cream cheese frosting and stacked them up...a wee bit crooked, but shh, will anyone notice?   Cam will help me decorate with fresh flowers today before we put it out.  The cupcakes:  they came out so beautifully.  Mare baked the lemon and the gluten free vanilla, I made the regular vanilla, and the lemon and regular buttercream frostings.  We got together yesterday and got them all frosted, and phew.  It's done.  

In the walk in fridge at church...all the containers of cupcakes and the cake, and the flowers for it.

We're leaving here in a few minutes for the wedding.  Paul is working in the kitchen to help with the food, helping Emily, as well as Evelyn and Nate.  I'll be checking up on them to see how it's going.  Darius and Nate smoked the beef brisket already.  Today the kitchen crew will be adding mashed potatoes, and gravy, roasted asparagus, caesar salad and Italian bread with parmeasan-herb crusted chicken.  Dessert will include a variety of ice creams with those cupcakes, then later in the evening there will be s'mores and popsicles.  :).  (for 165 people). 

 The kitchen is always a fun place to be, Emily at the helm makes it so good, she doesn't freak out, calm-cool-collected no matter what mishaps may occur.  She can think on her feet and she cooks with her heart, recipes are just suggestions to her.  So I will be visiting them in there ha.

Tomorrow, we'll be going to get paint after I go to the pool, then get the bathroom painted.  

Projects are never without trials.  Yesterday after cupcake/cake frosting, I walked in the door right after Paul had accidentally broken a pipe.  Never a dull moment.  He's been to the hardware store so many times, the car will just go there when you get in.  He bought a part for the plumbing, it was the wrong part, back he went.  Thankfully it's five miles down the road, no one should live further than that from the hardware store.  

The flooding in Texas has been heartbreaking.  All those little girls, oh dear Lord, I cannot imagine, their poor families.  The only consolation is that they went straight into the arms of Jesus.  

I won't comment on the Big Beautiful Bill because I haven't researched it much.  One part is that any able bodied adult will who can work will have to work 80 hours a month to qualify for Medicaid.  This might be a good thing.  The way things are now: if you get benefits, and you work, and earn income, it can make it so you don't qualify for benefits anymore, and possibly deter some from wanting to work.  So this new plan may make it so they WANT to work, in order to get those things.  

Other politics:  I did like President T. dancing with his wife.  I do not agree with rooting out immigrants who have made this country their home, and sending them back.  If they are criminals, fine.  But if they've been here a while, have families, and have been working, then WHY?  It's heartless.  The past president opened the border wide, practically invited them, it's cruel to send them back.  Just give them citizenship, have them pay taxes, and close the border to all future immigrants unless they go through the proper channels.  The time and money spent on finding people and deporting them is so wasteful.  

God made all the people on the earth.  No one is better than anyone else.  Yes, there are some who have turned to darkness and have no respect for life, and all sorts of people who have given themselves over to evil tendencies.  That is for sure.  But..."there but for the grace of God go I"...as my mother used to say.  We have so much to be thankful for in these last days, these days of grace.

You all have a good afternoon!  Don't melt!  (it's SO hot and humid here in New York!!!)