Update August 6

Got to the house after cleaning the apartment enough to find the things we have to move on Sunday (for such a tiny apartment, this place sure can get messy in a hurry!). Painted the blue bathroom, put up the vanity light, dragged the vanity into the bathroom and put almost in place (still have to cut out the back to accommodate the piping), started cutting all the trim for the baseboard and wainscoting, worked with the electrician a bit finalizing everything, and went back to painting again. Our electrician saw the vanity for the first time and asked why we were videotaping it for TV. A nice complement from a very subdued, reserved guy.

Once Rich got there from a hellish day at work, he helped install the baseboard and cap rail for the bathroom, and then sanded the ever-lovin' crap out of the walls and ceiling for me, since my hand is a claw and I cannot seem to sand anything anymore. I finished cutting and installing as much of the wainscoting in the bath as I could and then primed everything.

The reason we're working so hard on the bath is simply to be able to get most of the rest of the items at least into the room. Still no grout (takes time to measure, stir, wait, etc., and planning around all the other things, since it prevents us from being in there at all afterward), need to paint and caulk the wainscoting at least around the toilet area, finish installing the vanity, etc. but I think we're at least to the point where the toilet can go in the tub (not working, of course) and still keep the floor clear to do what else needs to be done in there during the week next week. That frees us up to finally clear out the "guest" room enough to put things in there. We also have to move the salvaged hardwoods and spare tile out of that room and then clean all three bedrooms enough to receive furniture. Oh, and clean the living room.

After all that, we'll need to move all the kitchen cabinets to one side of the room of the dance hall so we can put our bed and all other manner of things in there for the time being, until we finish our bedroom and bath enough to move in there.

And I'll have to clean the one working bath enough so that any of our help tomorrow isn't totally grossed out by the dust and debris. The toilet is clean, I've made sure of that, but all else is up for debate. It's a work site, for Pete's sake!

Today is finish-up-the-drywall-enough-to-prime-and-preserve-it day, and then clean enough to move our stuff in.

Sunday we have rented a liftgate truck and we've hired two beefy guys (no relation to beefy hands) to come in and get our biggest, heaviest obnoxious stuff over there. Once they leave, we have a couple of friends who will help us move the smaller, less-well-packed stuff while we still have the liftgate truck.

My goal is to preserve my hand/wrist enough today to be able to use it tomorrow. Rich keeps commenting on its size, which has nothing to do with the beefy hand stories of yesteryear. Ice and Advil are my friends :o)

You probably won't get an update again until Monday, when hopefully I'm perched on a chair with my computer on cardboard boxes or something. Cable/internet/phone won't get moved til Thursday. By then, we should be sleeping on a futon mattress on the floor.

Wish us luck!!