More Tile, and a Boy Band

On Wednesday, Phil spent the morning cutting tile. Two walls required cut tiles, and one corner needed a tricky corner cut.

In the afternoon, he mortared the tile in place.

When my sister and I bought the tile back in November, we overbought by 10% or so. We ended up with a total of two, yes, two, extra tiles. Apparently that corner cut was more tricky than we expected. But what a relief to have that done.

The boys and I read most of the day, finishing Dumpling Days, the third book about the young Taiwanese-American, in which the girl and her family go to Taiwan. What an interesting cross-cultural experience. Phil was a bit sad that he didn't get to hear it all: the cutting was too loud, and we were too impatient to hear what happened to wait for him. (Look at Joe, ignoring the camera. He only listened to some of the book.)

Caleb fell asleep in the jumper. I think we have photos of all the boys asleep like this.

Caleb might be the one with the chubbiest cheeks, though.

Phil and I spent hours today getting the trailers organized. We have excavated a good many things from the storage trailer, and removed a good many things from the house trailer, but what is left has been stagnating in an incredible disarray. Boxes of books without a home (not enough bookshelves yet); boxes of boys' clothes in various sizes; engineering texts and random art supplies and suitcases and unused dresser and shelving. What to do with it all?

I am helpless by myself. I needed Phil to come and help me strategize, and to come and hang shelving. If it were up to me ... it wouldn't get done. But Phil knows about how to hold the level to make sure that the shelving units will work. (I did make Phil smile to himself at one point, though. I could not get a particular shelf to sit properly on the three supports. I would move them up and down, but it was a mystery. Phil showed me how to count the slots. I thought I had done that, but when he counted to three, he had a whole different experience than mine. His shelf was level. I was relieved.)

I should have taken before and after photos, but it felt like a constant race: see how much you can do before Caleb is hungry or wet. (Since the high today was about 25, I left the littlest brother in the warmth with the other brothers, and they would run to get me every hour or two.)

At the end of that time: we had shuffled a good many boxes. We had two walls of hanging shelves, mostly populated, including some books that Phil hasn't seen in four and a half years. We had another wall with a large shelving unit there, mostly stocked with boys' clothes.

Phil figures he has at least two days consolidating his space in the storage trailer to the house trailer. I think he's right, though I suspect a week might be more accurate.

In the evening, after we made pizza pie and apple pie, Phil worked on the grout between the tiles. All of these little things have multiple steps, like: scrape between the tiles, wash the tiles really well, press in the grout, wash the tiles really well. The grout took about two hours. But it looked so wonderful when finished! Wow!

Oh, and as for the boy band? They're a fine-looking bunch, though they tend to be rascals when it is time for photos. Just look at the camera! No tongues out, no hands on face, eyes open, mouth normal, look at the camera, ahh!

I give up.