Bathroom Makeover, Day 1
I’m all dressed in my paintin’ clothes. I’m not going to paint, of course. But as any good supervisor knows, you have to look the part so your underlings don’t begin to discuss mutiny and decide to walk out on the job.
The next few days are fairly free of appointments, so I decided it was the best time to get the bathroom done. I could wait for another 3 days to come along, but I glanced at my calendar and that doesn’t happen until 2013.
James was so happy when I called him from the hardware store yesterday to tell him that I found the bead board and was going to buy it. He reminded me that we have nothing in our bank account and our children might like to eat for Christmas. Drat. Why does he always have to throw cold water on my ideas?
OK fine. I’m up to a challenge. I will do the bathroom with whatever we already have. All I will buy is one can of floor paint.
I came right home, dragged Jacob from his computer to the pile of junk between the garage and storage building (No, I did not take pictures. It’s too scary back there and small children read this blog). We rummaged through it all and pulled out some, “Mom, this is crazy,” stuff to play around with.
This morning I have my minions scraping paint off of some old doors that someone gave me a couple of years ago. I’m tearing apart a pallet and digging staples out of old fencing.
Don’t tell me I can’t fix the bathroom right now, buddy. My absolute fear of using my own potty in the middle of the night will win out over your empty bank account any day. This gal can’t live with holes in the walls.
And the best part is, James is gone for the next 2 days. By the time he gets home it will be too late to turn back. That’s what he gets for listening to Dave Ramsey. Was there ever any doubt which one of us was the nerd and which was the free spirit?
I took a few “before” pictures. But my miniscule bathroom is very hard to photograph. If any of you photographer types have a good tip for me I’d appreciate it.
I built that tower in the corner a few years ago. It is great for holding my hair products, herbs, towels, etc. I cleaned it off a few days ago, so it just needs a little tweaking.
The wallpaper is coming down. I’ve been sick of that wallpaper from the minute I put it up. I will use leftover paint from my bedroom for the walls in here.
I will admit that the bathroom has good bones already. But I need a place for my curling irons and blow dryer. Plus, my makeup just stays there in that travel case. I’d like to have a place to tuck it away, as long as I’m fixing it all up.
Maybe I’ll play some Christmas music for my workers. They need a little boost to keep them going. Being 11 years old is no excuse to complain that you’re tired. A little “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer” should do the trick.
I may have to make a few promises too, like a politician. I’ve heard whisperings of asking for a cookie decorating party and some hot chocolate. Perhaps I should throw in a night of caroling to seal the deal.
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!!! By the way…I WANT your tub 😉
Hugs
Erica
Hey, good for you. A woman just can’t go ‘potty’ in the middle of the night when there are holes in the bathroom wall!
And yes, I think the thought of Christmas and the threat of what may or may not come their way might just be enough to get their enthusiasm levels for working raised!
All the best x
I can’t wait to see it!
I am sure it will be impressive! In fact I am anxiously awaiting the end result because I need all the ideas we can get right now. We are having an addition built… another room, “family” room, and 1/2 bath. 1200 square feet has been suiting us fine but I think it is getting too cold to practice music in the garage any longer (it was 19 this morning!) and I hated having company who had to stay at a hotel when they came to visit. So the addition… They will build the exterior and interior wall, electrical, and plumbing but I think I am going to do the finishing… i.e. painting, etc. (it will help lower the costs and I have a friend who LOVES to paint!)
Once again can’t wait to see your finish potty! It will be so nice and CRITTER free! 🙂
I cracked up when you said the wallpaper is coming b/c you’ve been since of it since the minute it went up. Been there! I love your tub and the size of your room. Looking forward to what you do next.
I call my husband and lot and he tells me (a lot) of the deficit in the bank account. And for some reason I keep on calling him and telling him. One day I’ll learn. 🙂
“Someone” gave you the doors?? Hey, here’s my chance to be a part of something creative. I need the ‘credit’ if something that we bought at an auction actually turns out to be useful. 🙂 I can’t wait to see how you use them.
In the meantime, I decided to help you out even further. I found it funny that the ‘CAPTCHA code’ here on your blog for today contains the letters ‘WC’. The following bits of trivia will for sure fall into the category of TMI (too much information), but consider yourself warned. Lisa, if you teach all of this to your students today while they are working, I feel sure that the bathroom remodel will qualify as school! Aren’t I helpful? (Don’t answer that….)
Here goes~~~~
‘WC’ is the British nickname for the bathroom or ‘Water Closet’. The great source of educational info., Wikepedia :), tells us the following:
“Water-closet (WC): The term “water-closet” was an early term for a room with a toilet…. Originally, the term “bath-room” referred only to the room where the bathtub was located, which was usually a separate room…. In the UK, the terms “bathroom” and “toilet” are used to indicate discrete functions… (and not rooms or fixtures). The term “water closet” was probably adapted because in the late 19th century, with the advent of indoor plumbing, in order to remodel the house to add a bathroom, a toilet displaced a clothes closet….American plumbing codes still refer to a toilet as a “Water Closet” or a “WC”.”
Okay…here is some more ‘bathroom’ humor. 🙂 I remembered that the restroom in Britain is also called a “Loo”. I was told while going to school there that it was named after the “Battle of Waterloo”. That never really made sense to me, but neither did much of British humor. It turns out the source of this funny term might actually be French after all.
Because I am helping you do school today, I decided to research further. 🙂 This is the hysterical information that I found:
“It is thought that the use of the word “Loo” to refer to the bathroom….may derive from the 17th century preacher Louis Bourdaloue. Bourdaloue’s sermons at the Saint Paul-Saint Louis Church in Paris lasted at least three hours and word has it that wealthier ladies took along “travelling” chamber pots that could be hidden under their dresses to be used whenever the need arose. This pot allowed them to avoid the need to leave the service. Due to the popularity of this story, the bowls became known as ‘Bourdaloues’ after the preacher, and the name became corrupted to ‘portaloos’ and sometimes just plain ‘loos’ due to the habit of shortening words in slang.” What a hoot!
And now you know…”the rest of the story”.
Oh eek! I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I know it will be good. I laughed outloud that you don’t have any free time until 2013. It sounded familiar.
Blessings to you and yours.
Thanks you all, for your support. And Pennie….honey….how many cups of coffee did you have the day you posted that comment? You may want to cut down just a little. LOL! Lisa~
dear Loo-Re-do,
Yay for a room-marathon….on a budget. I am on one too: Our bedroom! We bought this house 7 years ago and everyone has gotten their room done except me. It IS exhausting though, and I am trying not to complain loudly about my knee that IS complaining, or the MESS that about drives me nuts in the process. The Prairie Hen has been here helping for a week, but had to go home yest. so KupKates and I are on our own. The ‘men-folk’ are on a delivery trip and hopefully won’t show back up here till there is more than a narrow path upstairs!
love,
Dying for the end result
at
KeoniCountry
in
NE