Concrete Gone Wrong Part 2

We left off with the concrete truck in our front yard. We were so excited about finally getting our patio floor expanded. The guys starting laying the concrete and smoothing it all out. Here are some pics of their progress..

After this step they started stamping while the concrete was still wet and then came back the next day to stain. After the contractors finished the job on day 2 we were happy with the results! Until....the concrete dried. On day 3 we found that there were some sections that were not covered with protectant sealant. Here you can see the sections that were not covered.

We called the contractor back to seal those sections and then they went on their way. I must note that our experience with this particular contractor was not stellar. Once the project was started unfortunately there were moments of miscommunication between us and the contractor. We found he was not completely honest about certain elements of the job. So by the end we were happy for them to be on their way once they came back to seal the unfinished sections. We were jumping for joy that the job was finally finished and there would not be anymore awkward moments with the conctractor. Here's the clean version..

Until......a couple of weeks later we got some rain. The palapa is pretty waterproof in the middle except for the outer edges where it comes down. The outer edges of the concrete got some water which was not unexpected but what the water did was unexpected! Here's what we found after the rain stopped.

The rain was peeling the stain off the concrete! We thought "Unbelievable...what else can go wrong?" At this point we were so done with the contractor that we decided not to call them back. We were gonna rock the rustic old concrete look and just live with it.

If anything, this taught us to do our research on contractors and look up reviews or at the very least get recommendations. Oh! And Do It Yourself when all else fails!! I'd rather have awkward moments with my husband than a complete stranger! LOL.





Patio Retreat Part 1

The last time I blogged about our outdoor backyard retreat I unveiled the palapa that we built. That was hard work but the next step after palapa construction was to decide on flooring. We went back and forth on what kind of flooring to do but ended up deciding to do  concrete in the end. My DIY self really wanted to tackle the concrete job ourselves like we did the palapa. So in order to convince Johnny I had to do my due diligence and research. I came up with the supplies needed and the cost with doing it ourselves vs. hiring a local contractor. Once I finished all my homework I was ready to plead my case. It went a little something like this....

Jaime: So...this is what we would need....about 90+bags of concrete and.....

Johnny: LOL..... That's all you had to say....call the contractor! I'm not gonna deal with 90+ bags of concrete!

Being that there wasn't a huge difference in cost anyway I agreed feeling defeated and we started to call for bids from local concrete contractors. After the bidding process we chose a guy who also would stamp and stain for a reasonable price.

The morning the contractors came to start the project I couldn't help but watch them lay the supporting beams and lay out the grid for our space. I had read up on all the project entailed so it was fun getting to watch and several times commented to Johnny "We so could have done that....Look how easy that looks!" Until this thing rolled up to our driveway and Johnny came up next to me while I watched through the window wide eyed....and shot back with...."You were saying?"

 

To say the least, I am glad we  Johnny decided to hire the job out. You told me so Johnny....there it is in writing!! Enjoy it!

Stay tuned for Part 2 to see our finished flooring!

Beach Retreat 2012!

This past weekend I went on a beach retreat with a few of my friends! It was an awesome much needed couple of days spent nourishing our souls, relaxing, laughing, enjoying great food and the ocean breeze right outside our doorsteps! I told myself before the weekend started that I was going to try to do a good job of taking pictures throughout the weekend. I even left my camera in plain sight on the kitchen bar in hopes that I would be reminded to pick it up and snap some shots. Fortunately, most of the weekend was spent having fun, relaxing, and having great conversation that the time just slipped me by. The only pics I was able to take was before everyone got there of the so very cute beach house we stayed at and at dinner Saturday evening when I handed the camera over to our waiter. He went camera crazy on all of us and kept us laughing while taking random shots. Those are sometimes the best if you ask me!

Our weekend theme was "Biblical Community". We watched several video web casts provided  by the ladies over at  Incourage and had some great discussion regarding Christ Centered community and how to intentionally love each other as Christ loves us. Good Stuff!

Hoping we can make this beach retreat an annual tradition! Here is a collage with a few pics I managed to get of our girls getaway weekend!

Make a collage

HE will conquer

Our family friend's baby girl went to be with the Lord yesterday. It has been a long road as they also lost their precious son less than a year ago due to the same heart condition. You can read their story HERE. My heart and mind can't wrap around the loss and pain that our dear friends must be going through. I can only hold steadfast to the fact that our Heavenly Father will someday conquer death and restore His Kingdom for His glory. My heart so badly wants Christ to come back to once and for all claim victory over death that stings us so badly.

1 Corinthians 15:25-26 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

I can't wait to be able to sing this from a mountain top and for what is written in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 to become true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory! Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

I like to imagine I would sing this with a fist in the air in victory that my Heavenly Father finally put death under his feet. Until that day.....let us love one another and cherish each other for the short time that we spend in this temporary place.

Psalm 144:4-"Man is like a breath;his days are like a fleeting shadow."

What will you do with your life that is numbered compared to the time of a fleeting shadow and a breath? If death does anything it is to remind us of our brevity in life. May we live it for God's glory. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Carpenters during this difficult time.

Piece of Mexico in the Backyard!

Last summer we decided to redeem our business expense card points(not to be confused with credit card-we are anti credit card) for a nice vacation with the whole family. After all the discussion about where to go and how long to stay we opted to bring a little bit of a vacation to our backyard instead. We figured it would be a nice investment into our home and much smarter to have a relaxing space that feels like a vacation in the comfort of our own home!

With our budget we learned that whatever we decided to do would have to be done ourselves. Hiring it out was not an option. I was so excited to be spending some quality time with my hubby building something together in the backyard and getting my hands dirty. I love making things out of nothing! Although I don't think my hubby shares the same passion.

We did some homework, and we decided to build a palapa in our backyard! I managed to find some easy to understand step by step instructions online to build a 12x12 palapa structure. We wrote out a budget for the building materials and borrowed a lot of tools that were needed with the exception of a few tools that I wanted to keep in our stash for future projects. We got to work 9 months ago and over spring break we finally finished!

I have to give credit where credit is due. Although I wanted to get my hands dirty and break a sweat I ended up holding a toddler in one arm and instruction manual in the other for the majority of the project. My hubby and dad worked most of the manual labor on this and for that I am truly grateful! I didn't complain one bit as the water runner, lunch fetcher, home depot runner, and project manager. Oh and before I forget I would like to thank www.instylelimo.org for making this project possible through it's financial contribution via expense card points! To clarify it didn't take us 9 months to build this thing but that's how much time passed us by before we could complete it. Last summer we spent a couple of days working in the back and then I had to go back to work. I learned that without a project manager a project will be at a standstill. During the winter you won't find me outside unless it's right next to a chimney or bonfire. So when spring break came along we had the perfect weather and time to finally finish! Here are some pics of our building process and the finished product!

This week we will be pouring concrete to expand our patio to the edge of the palapa and then hopefully get some patio furniture to add under it. I'll post some more pics once the concrete is done. Now if only I can convince my hubby to build our own furniture by telling him furniture building is not as hard as palapa building! I'am itching to tackle the furniture plans that the talented Ana White offers on her website. You've gotta check her stuff out by clicking http://www.ana-white.com! Luv her!

WE ARE...DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

Valentine's Father/Daughter Dance

Ati and Johnny have an annual tradition of attending our city's Valentine Father/Daughter Dance. Ati looks forward to it every year and it's so special to see daddy and daughter creating these memories together. Last year they decided to ride in "style" with their friends to the dance and that just adds more excitement to the whole evening! The girls just love to be pampered by their daddy's! Here are some pics from the previous years and pics from the dance this year which they are attending tonight! What about me you ask? Well, Maciah and I had a dinner date at Chick fil A then came on home in time for his bed time and my date with a quiet house and a blanket on the couch with my laptop! Pure bliss I tell you.....

2012

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