Bathroom Floors

I love colors in Indian outfits and accessories but not so much in my work wear. Most of my staple work clothes and the interiors in my house are neutral in color. It's no surprise that the floors we choose are not in some vibrant cobalt or crimson. That being said, I love to add colors in our home by means of cushions, art work or other knick-knacks.

We changed the flooring on the entire first floor. The first picture is our master bath floor. We added metallic inserts on travertine stone. The contractor used the same stone on the wall surrounding the tub tapering the ends with a marble mold, metallic inserts and tiny marble tiles. The best part of using natural stones is the variation it offers. No two tiles look alike.

We choose a tumble stone for the hall bath laid out in the above pattern. Tumble stone pretty much means a stone that bears an appearance as though it has been tumbled severely. We loved it so much, had to use it on the stairs as well.

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Wood Floors

It's been one long boring and sweltering Summer for the kids so far. We have been busy with the home improvement project in addition to work and Summer camps. We have not had a chance to relax with the kids. With the home improvement behind me, it's time to plan trips and enjoy the Summer break in general. Apart from the stairs we were pretty happy with most of our choices. We asked the contractor redo the stairs.

I can write a thesis on hard wood versus engineered wood. Choosing hardwood was easy. I love the real thing and went in for the woods. It does get a bit tricky with wooden floors especially if you live in places like Texas where there are no basements and the wood is laid on top of the foundation or concrete. There are numerous ways to do it and it's all over the website; documented by experts. I can definitely tell you what we did. We glued plywood (serrated here and there) on top of the concrete and laid a water proof paper/sheet. The wooden planks were nailed on top of the plywood.

I am taking the following week off and am really looking forward to it. More pictures on the home improvement to come soon.

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Stones & Woods

I am exited and equally anxious about our upcoming home improvement project. However, not looking forward to a dusty/messy house. We are changing the floors on the first floor. After a lot of discussions, visiting model homes and window shopping in Texas Summer, the perfectionist single kid*** husband and the maverick middle child*** wife agreed on travertine stone for the master bath and hard wood for the rest of the first floor. Pictured above is a sneak peek of what we chose for the bath. Marble to replace the slate inlays. Apparently slate chips.

*** The reference is from the "Birth Order Book" by Dr Leman. You do have to take the contents with a pinch of salt. I hate to admit, did not finish the book, read the parts that appealed me.

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End Of School Year Party

It's hard to tell if we were celebrating the beginning of Summer break or the end of school year. Sixth grade is certainly a tad bit tougher than fifth. Getting used to lockers, going from class to class on time, piano practice, show choir (watch Glee, if you want to know more about show choir), the GT courses and getting straight A's throughout the entire year. Did I forget waking up at 5:45 every single morning by herself and getting to the bus stop on time? She also won the "Stride for Excellence" award in Choir. After seeing her performance in the Disney show, we have no doubt she deserved it. She rocked the stage like a star.

Friday was the last day of school. Riya created the invitations herself from old scrap-booking sheets. She picked the guest list, passed out the invites and the girls text'ed her back their response. I was glad I let her pick the guest list instead of suggesting kids.

You hear constant chit chatter but they all turn silent the minute you walk in. Now that's a sign they are all grown up. The girls certainly knew how to have fun. Lots of music, sing-alongs, karaoke, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the girls enjoy the play set we have in our backyard with the tiny slide and swings.

One of the girls brought some peaches from her neighbor's backyard. These peaches need no Melba. They had that melt in the mouth goodness. Food for the party was baked pasta, make your own ice-cream sundae, sweet potato fries and chocolate covered strawberry.

The highlight of the day was "Project Ambush". The girls walked over to a boy's (their classmate) house who lived in our neighborhood. My daughter knocked on his door with the rest of the pack hidden behind the bushes. They wanted to get back at him, for what ever reason. The kid was not at home but at his friend's house (again in our neighborhood). His mom volunteered to bring him and his friends. The girls literally pounced on the poor boys chasing them down. I am not sure, if the parent's of the boy will be our friends anymore, but I sure got the "Best Mom" for being an accomplish in their mission.

As far as my son's school year was concerned, he sure has mastered the art of journal writing. His exerts were mostly synopsis of the popular television show "Ninjago" with the occasional "I am happy when I spend time with my mom and dad" type sentences to keep us happy when we read his journal.

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