Shower Makeover

Well, we're back at it.

We'll be putting our house back on the market this weekend.

After 3 years of trying to sell our home,

our fingers are crossed that this will be the right time for us to successfully sell.

New realtor, new staging (thanks to Sister),

and new hope.

So, spiffing up and paring down is on the agenda.

I'm the chief cleaner in the family,

but this shower just got away from me.

Our master bathroom is one of the best features of our home,

but due to poor water quality and poor initial installation,

this shower was looking mighty ragged.

 It turns out that caulking was used where grout should have been,

and the mold grew even though I clean every week.

No matter what I used, I couldn't get it clean enough.

It's bothered me for a long time,

and we were happy to find a company that could help us make it better.

 The Grout Smith came in and cleaned it up

better than we could have imagined.

It took them 4 hours of prep,

and almost 4 more hours of regrouting and color sealing.

The process is laborious and tedious,

but they got it done.

The first step of the process requires scraping out the old grout

and thoroughly cleaning all the affected surfaces.

They have their own special product that cleans even stubborn mold.

A bottle for us was included in the price of the job,

so that we can keep it looking as good as it does now.

The difference was pretty amazing.

It looks even better than it did when we moved in.

By using the provided cleaner every other week,

it should stay this way.

Big K already said that he doesn't even want to use this shower,

just so that it stays looking so good.

The color sealer takes a full week to properly dry,

so fortunately, we have another shower in the house to use.

We are still astounded at the difference.

We're so glad that we finally called The Groutsmith

to come and beautify our home.

Hopefully, their hard work will help us sell quickly.

The Groutsmith has locations all over the US.

Feel free to browse their website for more information

Groutsmith.com.

We couldn't be more pleased with their professional attitude

and work ethic.

They were on time, worked until the job was done,

and even cleaned up after themselves.

We wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to others.

If you decide they can improve your tile work,

tell 'em daisy sent you!

The Groutsmith

(Lakeland, FL)

863-698-7730

Wordless Wednesday

The Maple Hill Hop 156

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on

OUTSIDE

in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.

(Please share only outdoor posts.)

*Grab the button above to link back to Maple Hill 101.*

On Saturday,
the weather was perfect for a field trip.
I ventured to downtown Winter Haven
to take a gander at the Saturday market. 

Although there were a couple of vendors selling produce,
most of the folks were showcasing their homemade crafts,
jewelry, soap and other treasures.

 There was even live music by the fountain,
which featured pink water to promote breast cancer awareness.

This booth caught my eye right away.
This gentleman fashions biplanes made from recycled cans
that sway in the breeze.

An array of unusual homemade soaps were for sale.

At The Button Sisters' booth,
I found a number of wonderful upcycled creations.

 Can't you just imagine giving these jars as gifts
with homemade candy or trinkets in them?

Whimsical artwork was displayed.

This was one of my favorite pieces from their booth.
I might have to start looking for buttons
the next time we go thrifting.

Autumn is being celebrated
by spending as much time outdoors as possible.
This market was a great way to discover what 
the most creative folks in Winter Haven are concocting.

That's what we've been up to.
What's going on outside where you are?
HOP to it!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Simple Bike Repair-Changing a Tire

This is my sweet ride.
You'll find me most evenings (and some mornings)
tooling around the neighborhood.
We also frequent the bike trails at our local state parks.
We are blessed to be able to ride nearly year-round.
That carefree feeling of freedom it provides is priceless.

On a recent trek around the community,

the front tire went flat when I rode over a stick in the road.

Big K told me there was nothing to fixing it.

It sure is nice to have a handy man around!

He bought a new inner tube and took out a couple of tools to aid in the project.

The replacement size needed can be found on the bike's tires.

First, he took the tire off the frame

by removing the nuts holding it in place using a socket wrench.

This piece of metal was used to extricate the tube from the inside of the tire.

He just worked it all around the rim until it came loose.

The new tube was fed into place, starting with the valve stem.

The tube tucked right into the groove inside the tire.

Once the tube was in place, 
the tire was put back on the rim,
and the tube filled with air using a compressor (or foot pump).
He replaced the tire on the frame and we were ready to ride!



So good to have my wheels back again!

It's actually gonna feel like fall this weekend!
Yahoo!
 Enjoy your weekend, y'all!

The Maple Hill Hop 155

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on

OUTSIDE

in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.

(Please share only outdoor posts.)

*Grab the button above to link back to Maple Hill 101.*


*******

 With cooler temperatures visiting,
craft fairs are on the rise.
This past Saturday we were invited back
to our local Tractor Supply
to show off our wares.  

 

This is the second time we've displayed our daisy totes at this location.

There were a few sprinkles early on,

but for the rest of the event we had clear skies.

There were folks selling herbal tea, cheese curds, homemade baked treats,

hand-crafted hair adornments, and a coffee and beverage food truck. 

Some fine country music serenaded us all morning

thanks to a local musician who set up next to my booth.

 There were some special guests.

A few vendors were selling these cute lil' things.

Don't  you know I wish I could've brought some home?

 And although the guinea pigs could have been adopted,

the sheep would most assuredly have been a problem with the HOA.

 One of our local beekeepers displayed this honeycomb

in his booth.  He's been selling honey for over 30 years.

There was even a Halloween costume contest for critters.

Overall, it was a fun morning.

We always meet the nicest folks on these outings.

That's what we've been up to.

What's going on outside where you are?

HOP on!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Simple Frozen Yogurt (With No Machine)

Although it's officially autumn,
we're still having temperatures in the 80's,
so we haven't yet traded in our frozen treats 
for hot chocolate and warm cider.

I've been wanting to make this for a while.
We don't own an ice cream maker,
and since we like to keep things simple around here,
don't plan on buying another appliance that performs just one duty.
There were several recipes found online,
but this one was the simplest and easiest.

 This is all you need to make homemade frozen yogurt.
Plain or vanilla yogurt, frozen fruit and a food processor. 
Honey or stevia could be added for sweetening,
but we kept it as basic as possible. 


The method couldn't be simpler.
Place yogurt in ice cube trays and freeze for a few hours.

Add your fruit to the processor first, it helps with the mixing.
(We added about 1/2 C.)
Next, add in your frozen yogurt cubes.
(We used one filled ice cube tray.)
Whiz away!
You may have to process it in a couple of batches,
or even add a dash of your choice of milk to aid in the blending.

before freezing

 We returned the mixed concoction to the original yogurt container
and placed it in the freezer.
You could also add in chocolate chips, coconut, 
crumbled cookie bits or nuts at this point.
Give it a stir every 15 minutes for about an hour.
That's it!

It's good to know that something so tasty
is so easy to make.
Enjoy!