First week of February

We're meeting at the house with our designer and tile installer Friday to go over the bathroom budget and to discuss flooring. We went to look for tile samples today to get some ideas of what we like. We came home with several samples. I think the 24x24 tiles look the best in our house. There will be fewer grout lines, as you can see in the picture above.

Here's a close up. It's more subtle than what we have now and much less shiny. I think this would be a good choice. The tiles are called "rectified," which means that the tiles have been mechanically finished to provide more uniform and exact dimensions. Rectified tiles are especially important in large format tiles because there are fewer opportunities to correct for imperfections. The precise cuts also allow for narrower grout lines. One of the purposes of grout is to disguise imperfections and compensate for the variability in tile dimensions.

We placed the large tile around in different spots to see how it looked. It almost fills the hallway when it's on the diagonal. The large tiles are supposed to make the space look larger, too, since your eye isn't drawn to the many lines.

We need a finish that is not slippery, both for Toby and for us.

This one will work, but in kitchens and baths, rugs and bath mats are recommended because the tiles become slippery when wet. This tile meets the minimum standard for wet floors.

I like the size.

This is the only 24x24 tile we brought home, but I'm glad we did so that we could see how a large format tile looks in our house.

You can see how it really fills the space, especially on the diagonal.

It fills the laundry and hallway. It's a little more expensive to install on the diagonal because there is more waste around the edges.

These two tiles above are also available in 24x24 size, but the samples are 12x24. I thought that I might prefer this size, but now I think I like the larger size better. The one on the right is the biggest selling Florida tile for this manufacturer. We thought it was a bit too beige. The one on the left resembles coral. It is suitable for wet and dry areas, including outdoors, even around a pool. It's called Coralina Perla. The surface looks like it has fossilized sea creatures and corals. It has glimmers that resemble pearls.

It has some variation, but it's still subtle.

Close up from the web

It looks good anywhere.

You can sort of imagine how it would look in 24x24 dimensions on the diagonal.

The coral theme goes with the blue backsplash. 

We're not sure if we want to do the sunroom in some other tile or do the same tile throughout. Here's how it looks in the sunroom. I do not like the current sunroom tile. It's some shade of orange, pink.

Living room

Dining room, in low light. 

Both of these tiles are porcelain, the most durable of ceramic tiles.

We like our current tile enough, but there are some cracked tiles at the entrance and in the bathroom. There are many dings throughout the house, especially in the kitchen that I have tried to disguise with fingernail polish. There are a couple of tiles in the back hallway that have come loose from the floor, though the grout is still intact and holding them in place. The purplish gray markings on the current tile are not our style, but they're not horrible. If it weren't for the bathroom remodel, I'm sure we would just leave it. But, there's no way to keep the current tile once we remove the garden tub and redo the shower. We've seen houses with many different tiles throughout, and it just looks like a hodgepodge. One house we looked at we called, "the house of seven floors," with a tip of the hat to Poe. Besides, our bedroom, which is open to the bathroom, has carpet that is way beyond needing to be removed. It's a good opportunity to tile the bedroom at the same tile we re-tile the bathroom.

We've been binge watching This Is Us on Netflix. It is very emotional. It's a sweet story about a young couple who has three kids, one adopted. We are in season 2 out of 6. All of the characters are flawed but likable. The drama is more emotional than sad. I'd call it poignant, but there are also some sad moments. The story is told in flashbacks so the time sequence jumps around from before the couple met, to when they met, before children, and after children. In season 2, their children are grown, but there are still flashbacks to their childhood and even their parents' childhoods. Even in season 1, there were scenes with the adult children. All the juxtapositions help you to understand the characters and why they  are the way they are. The series would make a great psychological study. I have to be careful and not watch too many episodes in a row or too close to bedtime or else I will dream about them while I'm sleeping. The best art should provoke thoughtful reflection and self-examination. I admire some of the characters and would like to be more like them. On the other hand, some characters have deepened my empathy, which is always a good thing, especially when you think you have nothing in common with them at first.

We continue to have mostly cool weather with an occasional pleasant day. We've had many days with highs in the upper 50s and lower 60s and lows in the 40s. Everyone is complaining about it.

We had a spectacular sunset recently while we were walking Toby at Stirling Park. Stirling is our winter "go to" park because it gets a lot of sun.

Cheesy Quinoa Pilaf with Spinach

This is a winner. Delicious. The recipe is for one serving. It's so simple to make, healthy, and very tasty. 

Friends brought by donuts to celebrate the completion of our kitchen and to get a first look. Not good for our cholesterol or waistlines, but we ate them all within a half hour.

We did routine household chores, like replacing A/C filters. Sometimes I wonder if our filters need changing. This time, they really did with all that construction dust.