guest bathroom makeover

The family that lived here before us began to update the house.  They painted much of the interior, did a great job in the kitchen, and decent work in the master bathroom.  However, once you start fixing up a home the parts that you haven't yet gotten to stick out and seem to yell "help me!" I've already saved our walk in closet, our bedroom, Oliver's room, and Lydia's room.

Now, welcome to our main floor bathroom/guest bathroom/laundry room

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first we demo

Project list

-new floor

-new toilet

-take down the blinds and frost the window...I didn't, but I now know, you should do this project at night when light isn't shining in the window.  When the window is lit up you can't really see many air bubbles and you think you're fine. At night, it's a whole other story.  oops. 

-new sink and faucet, lowes.  Jim didn't think I could do it, but I totally ripped out the sink myself and replaced it with a new one.  I could have done the faucet too but the pipes were really corroded and I couldn't get the supply lines removed to replace them so I swallowed my pride and called a plumber. 

-new mirror, Ikea

-paint the walls, polar star by valspar made in the sherwin williams sample size.  The Sherwin Williams sample paint is my new favorite...it's a decent size and only 3.48, it took two to paint this space. 

-paint the cabinets, blanched pine by valspar

-replace the shower control knob

-hang the ironing board, large coat hooks
-remove the medicine cabinet and patch the hole.  We have textured walls and I didn't know how to recreate that so I hired a handyman to help...he taught me how to use my air compressor to make the texture, so next time I need to texture the wall I can totally do it myself. 
-replace a piece of trim. I had to rip out a piece of trim around the sink because it was such a tight fit for the new sink.  I was finally brave enough, and had enough time, to learn how to use my nail gun and air compressor...it's super easy. 

So lovely now!

yes, I know, the light is off center
why did the builder not center the electrical work, unknown?
what I do know is I wasn't willing to move it over...yet. 
but isn't the mirror beautiful?

   

plain and simple has always been my favorite style

Up next I'm going to work on our tiny off the garage hall where coats light sweaters and backpacks and shoes live.  Considering a board and batten (ya! nail gun) wall with plenty of hooks. 

sweet, sweet, October

People swoon over October.  And rightfully so.  Crispy golden leaves.  Fresh, humid free hair.  Warm enough days and cool window open nights.  A world filled with pumpkin spiced everything (did I see pumpkin spiced dog treats at Trader Joe's yesterday, yes I did).  Fall is a brief time to let go of summer and escort in the best season of all, winter.

 Well, that's what fall was like in every other place I lived.  I grew up in Upstate, NY, I lived in Boston, and have traveled all over New England.  New England wins fall, there is no debating it.  I mean people go on vacation to see trees change color.  Lincoln and Kansas City have fall too, it's not as spectacularly beautiful but it is very welcome after a long hot humid summer.  

I don't live in any of those places anymore.  I haven't worn socks or pants since.... 

I think it was 87* today, which is considered cool.  We went to the beach this morning.

I decided to take inspiration from the L.M. Montgomery quote in Anne of Green Gables and make my own warm weather version. 

Cheers to fall!

master bathroom and closet mini makeover

Jim moved into our house a few days before I arrived with the kids.  I remember calling him one day and asking him what he thought of the house now that he was living there.  He had buyers remorse.  He wasn't happy with the house, and thought maybe one of the others would have been a better option.  That was hard for me to hear, because this is the house I pushed for...I love neighborhood! So I asked what it was he didn't like, "the closet" was his answer.  That was hilarious to me because often when I clean the house the closet or laundry room is the first place I start and that would always drive Jim mad.  "No one sees the closets, Trisha, it doesn't matter what it looks like." Well apparently it does matter.

The main problems with our mater closet were

1. It wasn't painted,  just wallboard
2. The rods were painted white and all scuffed up from the hangers sliding on them
3. The rods crossed over each other making them less useful
4. The light was awful
5. It just felt grungy

But let's start in the bathroom.  The bathroom just needed paint and a new light fixture.

I painted the walls sea salt by sherwin williams, that's the same color we used in the bedroom and I painted the vanity and mirror frame white...well it has some fancy name that I don't rememeber, but essentially it's white. 

                    

 Hooks for towels and photos of the beach 

That tub is filled with bath toys.  We keep the curtain shut.

 

closet door
and proof I occasionally wear non workout clothes 

before

I'm so short I just throw the towels up there

Step 1, remove everything and paint

Step 2, cut new rods
I measured and cut and stained them all in the closet
of course, I used my most favorite java gel stain
the dark stain won't show all the scuff marks like the white

When I hung the rods back up I made sure that they didn't cross each other.  

That helped maximize the space.

Step 3, put everything back in

Step 4, add new light
so pretty!

got stripes, yes!

 

added a hook for scarves
and one of my favorite wedding photos 

extra hangers
a bin for Jim's shoes
a bin for some travel stuff

luggage and shoe storage 

helpers 

Up next I'm going to bust out my nail gun and build some floating shelves for above the toilet.  

Then I can store the towels where I can reach them. 

I'm really happy with how everything turned out.  It was mostly paint and some new rods and two new light fixtures so the total cost wasn't crazy, about $225.  

before and after 

new, new job

Back in March, I wrote this post telling you that we were moving from Kansas City to Southern California.  Jim left Kansas on April 1st to start his new job.  Now it's September 2nd and Jim just got a new job.  A new new job.  A different job than the job he came here to do.  He's past the part where you apply for jobs (who applies for a new job after only doing a new job for 5 months anyway), we've reached the point where people notice you and your performance and ask you to go to the next job, and we are left to hope and pray that the next job is in a place we want to live.   Luckily this job doesn't actually involve us having to GO anywhere, it's a different job at a different office, but it's right here, no move.  We've decided to call the original job a summer internship. 

The only draw back to this job is that it doesn't come with a company car, so yeah, let's get another one of those.  I told him he should get a Vespa, really embrace SoCal. 

Cheers to extending my California vacation.  Which beach to visit this weekend? 

master bedroom

Let the house projects continue.  If you missed the house tour, or the kid's rooms, go check those out, then come back and peek around our room.  Oliver's room  Lydia's room

 

Our master felt yucky.  Almost the whole house is a lovely grey color, our room wasn't.  It doesn't show well in the picture, but it was a beige/grey color, or something.  It was such a bad color it didn't even look good with the white trim, or our white furniture, so it had to go, along with that fan.  Once we put out bed in the room it felt like the fan was right on top of us!

 

First off, I picked a new color.  Pinterest helped.  Pinterest said that Sea Salt, by Sherwin Williams is a beautiful blue, green, grey color, a color that changes with the changing light.  I could get on board with that.  I went to the Lowes and grabbed a paint chip, at Lowes it looked green grey, and I liked that, so I bought a gallon. At my house, in my room, on my walls it has always looked blue grey.  It's really a lovely color, so much better than our room in Kansas, and so much better than the before pictures of this room. 

Next I bought an enormous curtain rod from Target, one that could stretch all the way across the sliding door and the window.  Got some new curtains so I could get rid of the awful black and white shower curtain the previous owners left us.  I purchased three curtain panels, one on the right, the left, and in the middle, I think it works. 

Lastly, the best part, a new light.  I adore the drum shade, it casts such a nice diffused light, it's not next to my bed like the damn ceiling fan, and it just looks beautiful, and it was under $100 at my Lowes.  I thought I might miss the ceiling fan, but I actually never used it at night because I hated the air on my face. Now Jim has a fan on his dresser, it moves the air, not onto my face. 

I also put a rod and curtains over the bathroom opening.  Jim gets up and ready hours before I do, and I don't need all that light in my face.

I think the room is mostly done, I like it plain and simple.  I'm thinking of adding a collection of frames on that wall above the chair.  I was going to put it over our bed, but I don't want them falling on my head if there is an earthquake.  Not in Kansas any more. 

Thoughts on the changes?  Up next, our bathroom. 

summer's end

Whether you mark summer's end with sending your kids back to school, or one last labor day beach trip, or the official Sept 23rd date, it's clear that summer is coming to an end.  I don't like summer weather (why are we in SoCal?) but I adore summer expectations.  I like traveling without a schedule, bumy days at the beach, road trips, seeing friends, hanging at parks, and playing in the street late. 

I was having a mini pity party in my head a couple weeks ago.  The reality of sending Oliver off to school full time, and getting back to a schedule, and not doing everything I wanted to this summer was getting to me.  What? What on earth? We did more this spring/summer than we've probably done of the course of the past 3 years. 

sold a house

bought a new one

last day of kindergarten

 

 

road trip! KC to SoCal



denver children's museum, CO


found snow in the rocky mountains, CO

arches national park, UT

grand canyon, AZ


over priced vegas pancakes, NV




peeked at the pacific

After finally arriving in California we camped for a few days and I did a bunch of painting.  Eventually our stuff came, and I spent two weeks unpacking.  Peeked at the Pacific ocean and then ran away to Home Sweet Massachusetts for almost 3 weeks.


Greg and Erika's wedding.  So beautiful and so fun to hang at the beach, RI

Saw so many friends, hung at the beach, played with Grammy and Pop-Pop


Crashed Matt and Melissa's backyard Maine wedding.
I should invite myself to more weddings.

Back to California, and back to reality. 
More home organization.  More exploring the area we live in.  A few more trips to the beach.

Took Oliver on a whale watch right before sending him off
to school.  Lydia and I were sick, but he had an amazing time.

Last, but certainly not least I headed back to New England, alone, for the 3rd wedding of the summer.  One of my most favorites, Audrey, was tying the knot.  It's the most fun I've had in a long while.  I totally worked my tail off, slept so little, cried more than once, but laughed even more.  Audrey was beautiful, Chris was handsome, the rest of us cleaned up fairly well. 

So Cheers Summer 2015.  Though temperatures will rage into the 90s for another month or so I'm calling this summer over.  It's back to school and schedules, homework and expectations, and squeezing adventure in instead of adventure being the main focus.