Bathroom Redone

Like I said the bathroom wasn't as bad as we had expected. Thank you to everyone who made suggestions for the bathroom, but we really don't want to put that much effort into this room. We have a lot of other projects on our plates and this is really a low priority.

Fortunately for us, the 'Sweet Corn' color that was rejected for the 2nd floor guest bathroom looks great in this lower level bathroom. After we replace the floor, recaulk, find a new light fixture and add a couple of accessories (the fun part!), this room should be ready to go!

Lighting: Part I

I know that some people do not consider shopping at Ikea an adult thing to do. Some people have told me that they've "outgrown Ikea." But I feel that if you know what you're looking for, if you accessorize well and have a good imagination then Ikea is like a toy store for someone with a new home.

Our lights are my case in point. Lights can be expensive, especially anything out of the ordinary. Since being ordinary isn't my thing and we're running out of money, Ikea lighting is right up my alley. I have 16 overhead lights in the house that I want to replace and Ikea has been helping me to check things off of the list very nicely.

Featured today is the first new light we have installed and it is in our upstairs hallway, which replaced one of the ordinary globe lights that come with every townhouse. I love it, it really jazzes things up, provides ample light and allows me to focus that light anywhere I want in the hallway.

Stay tuned for more 'exotic' lighting.

The Fourth and Final Bathroom

I started on the final bathroom last week, the one in the Lower Level. It's small, extremely small. I thought about putting hardware on the cabinets, but then the door wouldn't open. Now do you understand how small it is?

I decided to scale back a little on this room. I'm not painting the cabinets or installing hardware (obviously). Although we are going to put a new linoleum tile floor in with my Dad's help. Otherwise, after the fresh coats of paint, which are almost done and ready for your review, Kevin needs to dig out some old caulk, replace that and we're ready to finish up with the floor.

The bathrooms have been such huge projects that I forgot they can sometimes be not so bad! These photos aren't the greatest before shots, but like I said, the bathroom is tiny, so short of knocking out a wall for a better angle this was the best I could do!

The Tea Party

Now I can have a tea party. Not only do I have a tea chest, but I also have a tea drawer. And frankly, I think you'll be hard-pressed to find a tea drawer quite like this.

After all of these years of fruitless wondering in our society, I found a use for that tiny little drawer in your kitchen. My Dad created a tea drawer for my numerous tea bags using a divider system. The dividers aren't fastened, but fit securely on the sides. It it isn't fastened for two reasons. One it allows you to slide the tea forward, so you can get to the ones in the back. And two it pulls out for easy cleaning.

My Dad is so clever, he really should have been an inventor!

Cleaning Up Kevin

My Dad visited this weekend and you know what that means. It means he left behind a treasure trove of treats including finishing the bamboo flooring odds and ends, installing a new light in the hallway and one of my favorites, hooks in the master bedroom closet.

As you can see from the photo we put a lot of hooks in the closet. This is because Kevin rewears ALOT of his clothes. Sweatshirts, jeans, t-shirts, all get reworn. We all rewear, but Kevin really has it to an art-form.

This would include the 'modern art' pile of clothes next to the bed that he intends to rewear at some point. Since I'm a neat freak this lands all of the clothes in the hamper with no chance of rewearing. The solution: hooks. Now he can hang the once worn clothes on the hooks for easy access to rewear. We are also able to differentiate between the clean and the once worn clothing. Ah, organization, isn't it great?