Tuesday, November 26, 2013

If I Were Ever to Develop Diabetes, It Would Have Been on This Day.

So last spring, on a Saturday in May, Newburyport almost did me in.

Many of you know that I LOVED the Tour de Chocolate that chocolate store The Chocolate Box offered in Seattle.  I think I took that tour at least five times.  I probably could have given that tour myself.

Well, a church in Newburyport does a chocolate tour fundraiser with -- get ready for this -- 24 stops.  Yes, you read that right: TWENTY-FOUR stops.

Many stores, bakeries, restaurants and ice cream shops participated, and I just went happily from place to place, increasing my blood sugar levels with each stop.  Some non-food stores just handed out Hershey's Kisses or other little chocolates.  The food stores handed out cookies or other chocolate goods.  The ice cream shops handed out actual little bowls of ice cream.  It was crazy.  Crazy DELICIOUS, that is!

Here's a picture of the list of stops.  The shops would initial or mark your sheet so that you didn't try for repeat visits.  Though I'm not sure how a person would do that.  I love chocolate, and I was ready to pass out after all of the stops.


(Sorry -- I can't figure out how to turn the picture around so that it's upright. )

So, if you live in New England and want to join me this coming spring for the Chocolate Tour of Newburyport, let me know.  I certainly won't be missing it!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Did You Think I Had Moved to Another Dimension?

I have been the worst blogger ever!  So let's see if I can catch up.  Or at least post once, being realistic.

I have renovated my pathetic bathroom!  It is now gorgeous.  Before I show you pictures, allow me to ask you a question.  My Dad and I had the same initial reaction, which did not even occur to my Mom.

Okay, my shower was very tiny.  As my Mom made measurements, she discovered that there seemed to be an empty, unused chunk of wall.  This was great, as I could expand my show if it was true!

Now, when you hear that there is an empty chunk of wall, about 2 ft. x 2 ft., what is the first thing you think of?

My immediate first thought was that there HAD to be a dead body in there!  Perhaps I watch too many crime shows on TV, but come on.  My house was built in 1850, the size of the empty chunk was right, and why ELSE would you have a 2x2 empty chunk of wall in a very small space?!

Was that your first thought, too?  I want to know!

Anyway, allow me to show you before and after pictures:


Before (shower):




AFTER (shower):

Half again as big (due to the dead body empty space)!  And tile!



BEFORE (toilet and tub):



AFTER (tub):

Tile!  And shower head!



Other changes include tile floor and shelving outside the shower.  And my favorite change: one of those fantastic toilets that have one button for flushing pee, and another for flushing poop, in order to save water.  I love it!

One more change was to add a railing to my loft.

BEFORE:



AFTER:


So now, if you have kids, they can stay in the loft guest room and not fall out!



My Mom is coming to visit over Christmas.  There is almost nothing left to improve.  I'm sure she'll come up with something, though.  Every time she visits I seem to do a major renovation.

Oh, by the way, to my great disappointment, there was no dead body in the wall.  I was hoping some poor soul had been trapped in there, and I was going to be able to give him a final resting place (not in a wall) and his family closure.  Oh, well.  Maybe next time.