THERE'S WATER IN MY POOL!

This is a HAPPY DAY! The plasterers came out this afternoon and plastered our pool! Before they can start, they have to clean out all of the "gunk" that has accumulated at the bottom of the pool while it was being built and they have to pump out the water, too.

The sides of the pool get covered in plastic before they start spraying the plaster to protect all of the tile and stone.

Here the plaster is being sprayed on!

Check out the interesting shoes they wear while they're in the pool. They have little spikes on the bottom! This creates a bunch of little holes in the plaster at the bottom of the pool while they walk around, but they come back later and smooth over those holes while they're wearing a different type of shoe - a big foam-pad shoe!

It's just like putting icing on a cake! They use their spatula-like tools to smooth out the plaster so it looks real pretty!

It looks like he's walking on ice, but it's the white plaster. The foam shoes keep him from putting holes or dents in the plaster. Cute, huh?

Here are the tiles that delineate our steps. I LOVE IT!

Here's the little starfish we put at the bottom of the pool in Hunter's Cove. It will be fun to swim down there and touch it! I feel like a kid again!

And, yes, folks, this is an actual picture of our garden hose in the pool filling it with water! If you look closely, you can see that water is accumulating in the bottom of the pool! WOO HOO! It's been a long time coming and I couldn't be more thrilled! I'm nervous because the water will be running all night long to fill the pool. I'm afraid that when I step out of bed in the morning, the carpet will be soaking wet because the pool has overfilled! My husband said not to worry - he'll get up at 3:00 a.m. to check it! He's so good to me!

We also had landscape lighting put in yesterday, so tomorrow night we'll be able to see the backyard in all its glory - a full pool with lighting in the landscaping! What a fun experience this has been and I'm so happy with how it has all turned out. Suncor Services has been exceptional in their delivery of our pool! We are so pleased! I would recommend them wholeheartedly! Talk with ya' later - I've gotta go check the water level!

Pool Process - Step 13!

WOO HOO! They came and finished the landscaping around the pool today and replaced a palm tree in the corner of our yard that died in the freeze. They remulched and added some pretty flowers and some low-lying plants behind the rocks around the pool. It looks so nice - now I just need some WATER in that pool! Give those plants a couple of months and they'll look beautiful and lush! The flowers will add a nice splash of color around the rocks. I just love it.

Pool Process - Step 12!

I've received so many e-mails asking, "What happened to the pool process?" I'm glad so many of you have enjoyed watching the process! I'm laughing, though, because my blog has gotten more hits from people watching the pool being built than it ever received on hits from people looking at my stamped art!!! Hmmmmm...... We haulted the pool process for five days while we attended the McClung Family Reunion in New Braunfels, Texas this past week, but it resumed again today when the pool workers finished placing the flagstone around the pool. It's beautiful, and I love it, and I can't wait to see water in that pool! Tomorrow, the landscaping is supposed to be cleaned up and finished, and on Thursday, the pool is supposed to be plastered, weather-permitting! Then you drop your hose in there and fill 'er up!

Pool Process - Step 10!

We're getting really close now! Today the pool workers started preparing the decking that will go around the pool! The two pictures above show you what the shape of the decking will be. Tomorrow, the concrete will be poured! The following Monday, the flagstone will be set in place and then we'll plaster and finish the landscaping! It's all amazing when you realize it's only been a week-and-a-half since they started on June 2nd! WOO HOO! I am super-excited about all of this and I can't wait to jump into my pool! I am very happy with all of it!

Summer Things with Bling Camp Wannastamp!

OH, BOY, THIS COULD BE ADDICTING! Take a pair of cheap flip-flops and turn them into something fun and stylish! We embellished flip-flops at my Summer Things with Bling Camp Wannastamp and they were a big hit! Use your Crop-A-Dile to pierce a 1/8" hole right next to the center of the rubber straps. Run your foam sheet through the Big Shot machine using the Flower Daisies #2 Die. SNAIL the three daisies together just to make them easier to work with and don't remove the little circle in the center of each flower (that piece keeps the brad from sinking down into the hole)! Stamp the "Circle Circus" stamp in Basic Black ink (or whatever color you desire) on white card stock and punch it out with a 1/2" hole punch. Place that piece into a Pewter Build-A-Brad and then stick the brad into the center of the flowers. The Build-A-Brad can easily pierce the foam, but I used a paper piercer. You can also use our designer brads, if you prefer! Then take the flowers and place them into the 1/8" hole you made with the Crop-A-Dile. Bend the little prongs WAY back so that they won't rub your foot when you walk. I used the paper piercer to help me open up the prongs. VOILA - you've got an awesome pair of flip-flops that you'll be proud of! Recipe: Paper: Foam Sheets - 5-3/4 X 5-1/4; Whisper White Scrap Stamps: Circle Circus (P. 129 of the catalog) Inks: Basic Black (or whatever color coordinates with your flip-flops) Miscellaneous: Big Shot Machine; Flower Daisies #2, SNAIL Adhesive; Pewter Build-A-Brads (our silver Designer Brads look cute, too); 1/2" Circle Punch; Crop-A-Dile; Paper Piercer with Mat

Summer Things with Bling Camp Wannastamp!

These little boxes are so much fun to make! In the Summer Mini Catalog, Stampin' Up! is offering die-cut, fast-fold boxes! When you coordinate the boxes with the Island Floral Big Shot Die, you get a super-cute party favor box in no time! We made these boxes at my Summer Things with Bling Camp Wannastamp and I love them! I wish Stampin' Up! had them in all different colors - I'd buy them! All supplies used and shown are from Stampin' Up! Recipe: Paper: Old Olive - 4 X 3-1/2; Pumpkin Pie - 3-1/2 X 3-1/2; Rose Red - 3-1/2 X 3-1/2; So Saffron - 3-1/2 X 3-1/2; Tempting Turquoise - 2-1/4 X 2-1/4; Whisper White Scrap Stamps: On a Pedestal (P. 71 of the catalog) Inks: Old Olive Marker; Pumpkin Pie Marker; Rose Red Marker; So Saffron Marker Miscellaneous: Island Oasis Party Favor Boxes; Big Shot Machine; Island Floral Die; Paper Piercer with Mat; Large Clear Rhinestone Brad; 1-3/8" Square Punch; Linen Thread - 8" long; Scissors

No New Pool Pictures Today!

I had a stamp camp today and totally forgot about taking pictures until it was already dark! However, there were quite a few workmen in our backyard today laying electrical lines and repairing some of the tile work that we requested be reworked! All of that got finished today, so we are very happy with the pool progress! Robin Owen has promised me that one week after the pool is finished, we will completely forget any frustrations we've felt along the way due to rain delays. It's kind of like childbirth - painful while it's going on, but afterwards, you forget all about it! I like that, Robin, and I'm trusting that you're correct!

Nothing Happened Today!

I've had a lesson in patience today! I was informed this morning that the electrician, who was supposed to come and do all his "stuff" today, is behind schedule because of the rain we've had! Nothing else can happen with respect to the pool until the electrician can finish his "stuff." So NOTHING HAPPENED TODAY - and it was a beautiful sunny day that would have been excellent conditions for working on the pool!!! ARGHHHH! He's supposed to be here tomorrow - weather permitting!

Pool Process - Step 9!

Despite the fact that we had a 60% chance of strong thunderstorms today, IT DIDN'T RAIN, so the pool workers finished putting the tile around the pool (that's Hunter's Cove above, a/k/a Starfish Cove), finished the plumbing, filled in all the trenches in the yard, and then set up the pool equipment on the side of our house! Tomorrow? Who knows! The electrician, perhaps? One day at a time! Just hope for sunny skies!

Pool Process - Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Today has been a small disaster! The pool workers started bright and early this morning to finish the plumbing work and Jose started putting the tile around the inside edge of the pool. And then it came - a torrential rain with high winds - and it poured like crazy for about an hour! That was enough to get everything TOTALLY wet and muddy, so the workers packed up and called it a day! ARGHHHH! The only pictures I could get today is a trench with water in it and part of the tile work that Jose did. I think I will really love that tile. It matches the natural stone and our deck, and the cobalt blue adds a nice rich color to the pool. Tomorrow there's a 60% chance of rain and then a 40% chance of rain on Thursday and Friday. If you're experiencing a drought, just build a pool - and it will rain! Darn, now we'll be behind schedule! I'm hearing from a lot of you that you are enjoying watching the process on my blog! I am glad to hear that - I was starting to think it might be boring! Thanks for all your kind words and excitement for us. That means a lot to us!

Pool Process - Step 8!

Not very pretty pictures today, but it's all part of the process! Bye-bye to ANY grass I had in my backyard! The workers showed up this morning and began digging trenches all over our yard to place pipe into for pool drainage. It started raining, but they kept working, and now it's a big muddy mess in our backyard! They have dug up OUR ENTIRE BACKYARD! They will finish the plumbing tomorrow. The electricians will show up tomorrow to do their thing so we can have pool lights! We'll also have super-cool controls that allow you to change the color of your water through the pool lights! That was something I begged for, especially when they told us that for July 4th, you can put red stripes through the pool! You control the water color electronically with a control panel, and that will be my new best friend! They are also supposed to put the tile around the inside of the pool tomorrow, too - something I can't wait to see! We are expecting a rainy week, though, so things may be delayed - BUMMER!

Pool Process - Step 7!

We're so glad that Otto has finally gotten accustomed to what's going on in HIS backyard! At least he'll sit on the deck now while Jose and Fernando work. He's been totally perplexed by all of this and wondering what's happened to HIS backyard! Jose and Fernando purchased our tiles for the pool this morning and then spent the entire day cutting rock to fit around our pool and to form the waterfall! I can't imagine how difficult it would be to work with heavy, dusty, hot stone all day in 98-degree temperatures. They did a phenomenal job. Jose would place the stone and the mortar and then Fernando would clean it up, using his hands to shape the mortar, and then cleaning the mortar with a sponge. HARD WORK! Here's our waterfall - and I can't wait to have water pouring over those rocks into the pool. I'm so excited. We wanted a small waterfall - and this one is bigger than we were thinking of - but we're happy with it in relationship to the size of the pool! The workers are taking tomorrow off (boy, they sure deserve a day off, right?) and they'll be back on Monday to place our tile around the inside of the pool! The decking around the pool begins on Monday, too, I believe - and the plumbing!

Pool Process - Step 6!

WOO HOO! Today is my son's 17th birthday and our 22nd wedding anniversary! A BIG day for the Thomas Family! We've had a fun day together picking out the tile for our pool and watching the workers handcut the stone to go around the top of our pool! This is called the "coping." The first picture is our pool totally encased in gunite, and then Jose and his son Fernando spent the entire day cutting stone for the coping around the pool. Fernando placed the smaller boulders around where the waterfall will be and Jose cut the pieces to fit around the curves of our pool. Tomorrow they will finish the coping and build our waterfall, so that should be fun to watch! We picked out some beautiful cobalt blue tile for our pool to match the tile on our deck. The kids and I got into the pool and staked out our favorite spots and wrote on the gunite with a black Sharpie! We did this same thing when our house was being built, writing our names on the framing as the house went up! Hunter claimed his favorite spot as "Hunter's Cove" and put the date down - which is his 17th birthday! Haley claimed her favorite spot as "Haley's Garden," and I claimed my favorite spot as "Mom's Shelf." It will all eventually get covered up with plaster, but WE know it's under there!

Pool Process - Step 5!

Once all the reinforced steel was in, the pool workers sprayed the gunite! That is a very loud and messy process! They put tarps up to protect my house and windows because the gunite gets on everything! It took all afternoon to spray the gunite in, and then the workers have to go around and smooth it out. You can see in some of the pictures the gunite looks bumpy, but now it's nice and smooth! They smooth it all out by hand, and they're doing an awesome job! The big shelf you see is a sun-shelf! It has a hole in it so you can place a big umbrella over you! Then you can enjoy being in the pool, but still be protected from the sun! I'll like that! There's also two little bubblers on the sun-shelf that keep the water moving and cool right there, so I know that's going to be my favorite place! Across from the sun-shelf is another little shelf that will be a small waterfall. I wanted to hear the sound of running water. Tomorrow, they'll start the stonework around the pool! It's all coming together!

Pool Process - Step 4!

I wondered why the pool workers put that big white plastic sheet all around the pool before they left yesterday. Now I know why! Last night, it rained and rained and rained and rained, filling the bottom part of our pool with water! The plastic sheet around the edges of the pool kept the sides from getting wet and then eroding or mudsliding! GOOD THING! The workers showed up at 6:15 this morning and started pumping out the water so they could begin putting the reinforcing steel in! I know the neighbors just love us! Now that all the steel is going in, the pool looks smaller. DRAT! My husband told me that was going to happen. It will get even smaller when the gunite goes in. DARN! That's okay, I know it will be beautiful and fun, so I'm not going to complain, but that BIG empty hole looked wonderful!

Pool Process - Step 3!

The men working on our pool were very productive today! They've done some pre-plumbing work, which gets piping in place so that the reinforcing and gunnite can be poured. The workers are supposed to show up at 6:00 tomorrow morning! UGH! I don't know, though, we have a 50% chance of strong thunderstorms tomorrow, so we'll see what happens!