Bathroom Lights

We finaly found some bathroom lights that we actually liked and they weren't that expensive. Yes, you guessed it, Ikea.

But then there was the installation, which ended up being pricey. Any guesses on how I managed that? I installed it myself, so there were no fees. But I dropped a lightbulb. These tiny little lightbulbs tht only pump out 35W cost $7 at Home Depot! That's practically a third of the price of the light!

I knew I should have bought extra bulbs at Ikea. Live and learn that seems to be the motto of this house.

Bamboo Review

At long last the bamboo was finished in the house last week. In this particular photo Kevin and I were nailing in the very last piece. This of course was all staged as my Dad did 80% of this room himself, (Kevin was at work and I was making dinner.)

I know alot of people are curious as to what we think of our bamboo. We both agree that its beautiful. It looks stunning extending from our entryway up the stairs through the living room and across the kitchen/dining room/solarium area. It wasn't that expensive and its a friendly environmental alternative to hardwood.

But the downside is that it stratches easily. Kevin scratched the floor with the plastic end of his shoelace the other day. This is now Kevin's number one reason for us not getting Sparky (the dog I want so badly).

Yes, the no shoe rule is in full force and now Kevin even agrees with it. So please be so kind as to bring slippers when you visit. But for those of you who forget, we do have clean extras by the door!

It's Halloween in the House Again

I know what you're thinking, "Halloween in January? What is she thinking?" It's not really Halloween, but its that whole color dilemma again. The Library was "Falling Leaves"(a.k.a. Orange), which turned out to look too much like the kitchen.

My Mom then suggested this minty green (can't remember the name), which looked like an Andes mint had thrown up on my walls. So finally, we breathed a sigh of relief when "Egyptian Nile" (a.k.a Medium Green) was applied to the walls. But there's always that in-between stage as can be witnessed by this photo.

Mark my words, one day this look will be in: orange slightly covered by a green primer.

Bathroom Updates

The toilet was sitting out on our front stoop for two days in the elements, which included quite a bit of rain. I kept calling us the white trash family and had visions of the HOA police writing us citations. Fortunately for us Kevin, Terry and my Dad were able to reinstall the toilet and the sink without incident.

The bathroom is finally in the home stretch. Actually all of the bathrooms are. The first floor bathroom just needed a new floor (bamboo - check!), a new light (Ikea - check!) and the toilet and sink reinstalled. Check, check. Although there was a slight leak, but I think my Dad fixed that.

Photos to come of our beautifully finished bathroom as soon as we get the extras (TP holder, towel holder, etc.)

Light Installation

One of our big projects during my parent's visit was to install the new lights that we had bought/been given for Christmas. There are 16 overhead lights in the house (we plan to replace all of them) and we had 12 ready for installation when my Dad arrived. The only lights we were missing were for the bathrooms as we couldn't find anything we liked (maybe I should say that "I" liked.)

We decided to hold off on the Library lights as that room is a gigantic messy work in progress. (More on that in a later post.) But with my Dad's determination that he can install anything, we replaced the dusty, ugly chandelier over the dining room table, the outdated entryway light, the boring hallway lights (on the stairs and in the basement) and hung the Solarium's new track lighting.

I LOVE every new light we have. They're funky and fun and really express our personalities.

Exhaustion

I'm sorry to announce this to everyone, but your Dad is not the coolest Dad ever, mine is. He wins, hands down. My 63 year old Dad wore me out. I spent all day yesterday recovering and I'm still not back to 100%. I'm uploading photos of Everything he worked on this week and you will be amazed (go to our Flickr album). He did not slow down.

Friday morning as I was morosely staring into my coffee cup trying to get up some energy for the day, he was racing around measuring and calculating how much shelving and accessories we would need at Home Depot (see photo).

We spent close to two hours in Home Depot, which I think is a record for me. My Dad is amazing. He was still installing things right before he left on Saturday morning. We managed to finish ALL of the projects I had wanted to do in those three days! My Mom meanwhile was an awesome support system. She cooked dinner and actually ironed all Kevin's work shirts that I would normally take to the dry cleaners.

They don't make them like my Parents anymore. Thanks Mom & Dad.