Bathroom Remodel 2011

Bathroom Remodel 2011 is officially underway! We have busted out all the tile and are currently in the middle of our favorite activity - de-popcorning the ceiling! Here is a before photo of our boring, drab bathroom:



Cluttered, all differents shades of off-white, and uninspired. I preferred to use the guest bathroom to get ready because just being in this room made me feel icky and depressed. This room remains the only non-closet room that we have not painted since Will bought the house in 2008.

It also has some nicotine stains on the ceiling and walls. Unknown to us, the previous owner's husband was a smoker. Our house was sold to us as a "non-smoker" house, because the smoker-husband had passed away a few years earlier and the owner/wife had installed new (and cheap - a story for another day) carpet and painted a few walls.

Before and afters

Due to the continued demands by the one person who reads this blog, I will start a series of before and afters. First, I will only post "befores" so that you can truly appreicate the "afters."

First, check out the before of our living room.


Notice the ugly curtains from an earlier post. There are way too many ugly things going on here. After shot to come!

Someone buy me this. Please!

If you have ever lived with my husband or been around him for any length of time, you know that I am in desperate need of this:

Arizona immigration

I must admit, when I first heard about the immigration law in Arizona, I was quite peeved. All I could think of was racist cops using the ability to check IDs for no reason to discriminate against latinos. This terrified me because it brings us one step closer to an authoritarian state. Having lived in a foreign county where I stood out, I kept thinking, "What if that was me?" Can you imagine going to the grocery store in a county where the culture and a language not that familiar and being asked for your ID by some corrupt cop? Heart attack! Then I read this article which made me not quite as hateful toward Arizona.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/237196

Human trafficking and drugs, oh my! 60% of the marijuana coming into the US passes through Arizona. Pretty much all the reasons that I am currently afraid to visit and/or live in certain parts of Mexico (and I REALLY LIKE Mexico) are going on to a smaller degree in our own country. I would agree with the author of the above article get it right when he says we need to beef up border security and implement better guest worker programs.

Random Notes to the Universe

Ok, I always write random notes to things in my head. I know they will never be answered or heard, but I just want to get them out there. Here's mine for today:



Dear Pine Trees in my Front Yard,



Please stop duming pine cones all over the place. I don't want to spend half of my weekend picking you up.

Love,
Clare

I love my husband

WARNING: This post is not for those who are easily offended by mentions of bodily functions. There are mild references to the bathroom in this post.

I love my husband. That's why I married him. Haha, no but seriously, my husband is wonderful and sweet and takes excellent care of me and most importantly is a godly man. I really enjoy being married to him. Part of the joy of being his new wife is discovering how exactly this man thinks. The man is a brilliant engineer who makes Bounty paper towels. He understands the complex inner workings of all the many different machines that are involved in the making of our beloved "quilted quicker picker upper" from the core maker, to the winder, to the embosser-laminator. I'm sure I've lost you right there. This brillance is what caught me off guard about the following event:

Being a newlywed, there are still a few things I'm learning about my husband by living with him. Case in point: the other day I walked into our bathroom after Will showered and discovered a musty smell. The bathroom does not have this lingering odor after I shower. This prompted me to ask him if he uses the bathroom fan while he showers. His answer: no. Hah! Musty smell mystery solved. "Why don't you?" I asked. His response, "I thought it was there to cover up the sounds of when you go to the bathroom and to diffuse the smell afterwards." My reaction: I cupped my face in my hands and shook it in disbelief. I then explained to him that the bathroom fan's purpose is to suck up the excess moisture to avoid mildew and the like. "Oh," he replied, "well, my reason for it must be it's secondary function." Typical engineer response...

Drill Bits

After finally taking down the ugliest curtains, the windows looked naked. It bothered me. Luckily, the hubby's mom had purchased some valances on sale and had hidden them in our hall linen closet. Of course my husband had no idea they were even there. So, I went on a mission to put up these valances. After buying the wrong rods and correcting the situation, I was ready! I looked at the directions that came with the rods which demanded that I pre-drill some holes in the wall for the screws. I found the drill and attempted to find the drill bits which, after about 20 minutes of turning the house upside down, I discovered from the hubby that we did not own any. How do you own a drill but no drill bits!? Apparently, it's possible. So I then decided that I must get to the Home Depot to remedy this lack of drill bit. I even did some research so I could have somewhat of an idea what to look for. Little did I know what lay in store for me. I walked into the Home Depot and pretty quickly found the drill bits. At that moment, all information about the drill bits completely left my mind. I resorted to looking at the chart on the wall and discovered that basic black oxide drill bits would suit my put-a-hole-in-drywall needs for about $10. At that moment, a Home Depot employee came by to ask what I needed. I, in my very ignorant state, told him about my drill bit situation. Our exchange went something like this:

Home Depot Dude (HDD): What are you looking for?
Me: I'm looking for some drill bits, but I'm not sure these will work with my drill.
HDD: What kind of drill do you have?
Me: Uhhhh, I have no idea. It's not a good one. I don't think you even carry the brand here.
HDD: What color is it?
Me: I think it's black. I'm not sure though. It has a little red stripe thing at the top.
HDD: Is is a Black & Decker?
Me: No, I'm pretty sure it's not. (For the record, we have a Task Force cordless which is only found at Lowe's on clearance. It is actually gray in color)
HDD: (Pointing to the whole row of drills) Does it look like any of these?
Me: Nope
HDD: Does it have a keyless chuck?
Me: (A look of sheer idiocy appears on my face)Uhhh, what is that?
HDD: Ma'am, have you ever even used this drill?
Me: (Knowing that I sound like a complete moron) Why, yes, I actually have used it.
HDD: Ok... does it do this (he shows me the function where the drill tightens or loosens around a bit)
Me: Yes! It does do that.
HDD: Are you sure?
Me: Yes, yes, I'm sure.
HDD: Well, those drill bits you have right there should work. If they don't you can bring them back and we'll buy 'em back from you.
Me: Thanks. (I walk away in the shame of my ignorance).

It turns out that the bits DID work with our drill and I was finally able to install our valances over the windows. Here's a picture of the end result.

One small step for our home improvement. One giant step for women with power tools.