Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Just Keep Swimming...

It's been an interesting week around our house. One filled with lots of good things, yet really nothing at all. And definitely no cooking. In this 100 degree heat, it's been nothing but salads, salads, salads.

At the beginning of last week, my husband called a guy about refinishing our pool. The white plaster was stained and quite unattractive and we'd need to redo it anyway before putting the house on the market in a couple years. May as well do it now and enjoy it.

So the guy comes out, takes some measurements, gives us some samples and, later, calls with a quote. Pleased with his price, we call him the next day to let him know our choice of finish. He says he's in the area and will be over in an hour.

Great!

When we asked him when he thought they could start, he told us he had a crew on the way.

What? But, it's 100 degrees. I won't be able to swim for at least a week.

Well, by the end of the day, our pool was completely drained, acid washed, bad spots were chiseled out and they'd added a bonding coat.

Early the next morning, this was sitting in front of our house.
You mean all those bags are for our pool?

Yep. And they've got their nifty mixer and pump on the back.

This is how our pool looked at they prepped for the new surface.

For a time, I thought we were getting a zipline.
Awesome!
But no.

Of course, Maddie had to inspect everything.

Finally, it was time for the new finish.
Well now, this was interesting. They ran a hose from the pump on their truck all the way to back of the house and SPRAYED the new surface.

Then they smoothed it.
The guys were all wearing rubber boots with giant spiked plates affixed to the bottom. 
Interesting.

They got everything smoothed out, then, as it dried, tiny pebbles began to appear.
Keep in mind, this all within the first 24 hours of saying, "Let's do this."
Talk about instant gratification.

By noon Saturday, we were filling it back up again.

And yesterday, it looked like this.
Uh-mazing!
If only everything in life were that quick. Like, say, writing a book.

Speaking of books...

I am delighted to announce that the September LIs are now on Walmart shelves.
Whoo-hoo!

Like I told Tina on FB, we get to hangout together all month.

She says we can talk about food and boobs and girl stuff.
Her words, not mine. I would not make that up. 
Nor would I use the word boobs on FB, but that's just me. :)

I gotta tell ya, though, I'm loving this lineup. Three hunky cowboys, cute kids and a snowy scene that's sure to cool me down during this heatwave.

Oh, and there's one more thing...
SCHOOL STARTED YESTERDAY!!!

Pool party's at my house!

20 comments:

  1. Actually small town billionaire caught my eye lol! Some words really stand out! Might have to buy the ebook package if they still do those since they all sound good
    That's a really deep pool! I'm more the walk around and splash type not deep water stuff! I think 5feet is pretty daring! Pretty though
    Susanna

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    1. Susanna, I had to look at the pix to see what you were talking about. That title escaped me, but you are correct. That's a title that'll really grab you. :)

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    2. Just shows how there's been inflation! I guess millionaires are too poor for book titles nowadays. :)

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    3. yep it's billionaire now! those harlequin presents have the craziest titles - used to be millionaire now it's billionaire
      Susanna

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  2. Wow, that was fast! When we built two rooms and a bathroom (and a mudroom and laundry room) on our house last year, it took 6 months. It was... really aggravating. but I was thankful the entire time that Amazon was making it possible! I love my job and I love that it makes money for things like another bathroom!

    We didn't look at houses with pools when we bought ours, though. We knew we waned kids and I have always had a fear of a little person sneaking out into the water when no one was watching. I'd rather have it somewhere away from the house...

    Pretty, though!

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    1. I know exactly what you mean, Virginia. We were looking for a house when our now 19 YO was a baby and, while we wanted a pool, it had to have a safety fence around it. We found one that was perfect, then moved to this house when the boys were older (because my mother was moving in with us and we needed space for her). We did have to keep a watchful eye when our granddaughter was living with us, but our philosophy is to expose them to the water young. Even let them fall in, with the proper supervision, of course. Hubby is a former life guard and I love the water, so we knew it was either a boat or a pool for us. :)

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  3. P.S. I wish I could go to walmart and see the books! They replaced our book section with liquor. It was so sad the day I walked in and saw all the books gone. *sob*

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  4. They replaced your books with liquor????? Oh man. You can't buy liquor in Walmart or grocery stores in NYS.... Now I'm so glad! Ruthy replaced by Seven Crown! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

    Oh my stars, Tex, this is awesome. I love that they jumped on this job, came and did it, and how stinkin' gorgeous it is. Amazing!!!!!! Love it, love it, love it!

    And who needs food when we all have a few pounds to lose? I'm loving the pool process, think "RESEARCH FOR RUTHY!!!!" Sweet.

    Making a trip to Walmart this week to stock up on books. I've got some giveaways coming up and it's always nice to toss a friend's book in AS A SURPRISE gift for the reader! I love doing that, it makes the reader happy and spreads the L-o-v-e. Gotta spread the love!

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    1. Our Walmart has beer and wine AND books, but no liquor. Gotta go to a liquor store for that.

      Ruthy, I love that you do that with the books. Such a good idea. I usually just get the Kindle versions, but I think I'll add on yours. Very smart.

      Yes, the pool is great exercise for us. Whether it's laps a treading water in the deep end, it's movement. And even that is so much more enjoyable now with the beautiful finish. We tried it last night for the first time. LOVED IT!

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  5. wow -- I'm impressed by the timeliness of the contractor and by the beautiness of the pool! Awesome!!!!!! Maybe you could rig something so you could write out there. That would be cool -- in more ways than one.

    So does Walmart have a deal with Harlequin so they get the books a week earlier than other retail or online stores? I always have to be careful when I do giveaways because I'm usually reading LI books a month before they hit the stores so when somebody wins I have to remember to order their book a few weeks later. LOL And it's usually later online then in stores too. There must be a marketing strategy in that.

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    1. Good question, Kav. I don't know. Doesn't Amazon usually ship the books on the 19th?

      Making the pool my office would be awesome. Though I'm afraid there might be too many distractions. But if I could be in the water, floating around, contemplating my story, then have the ability to record it somehow...

      You know, there could be a new invention in ther somewhere. ;)

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    2. Water-proof dictation machine needed. Someone invent one!

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  6. That's fantastic. I saw the weather report for your area today. Lots of great pool weather still ahead for sure. Here, everything pool closes Labor Day even if it stays in the 90s till October!

    Yay on the books. Such fun.

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    1. Yessiree, Julie. And would you believe the fresh water was just as warm as what we emptied out? I was afraid it would be kind of cool, but it was perfect.

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  7. What? Boobs are a part of nature. Boobs. Boobs. Boobs.

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    1. I suppose you're right. And most female conversations end up gravitating to talk of boobs or childbirth anyway. :P

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  8. Be there in two hours!! Make me a pitcher of iced tea.

    :) Very cool to see how they do that, Mindy! I'm glad you're all set for the next several years (or until you sell).

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