For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand —when I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:13-16 (NIV)
After a week of taping, patching, mudding and sanding, by Friday, the bathroom was ready to be painted. I had a can of paint leftover from the kitchen, yes, vanilla again, so all I had to buy was some white paint for the ceiling and trim. I left work early at 2 to get the painting done before husband came home from work since the paint smell gives him headaches. Because the bathroom is tucked up under the eaves of the house, it was difficult to determine where the ceiling began and where the sloped wall started. I taped it all off and did all the cutting in first. I hate trim work and there was a lot to paint around between the towel racks, toilet paper holder and bathtub, before I could finish up the walls with the roller. The bathroom has some unique surfaces including a window seat that lifts up for storage and a small door into the air conditioner handler, but I managed to stretch the trim paint to finish it all with only a drop left to spare. By 5, I was washing out the brushes and dreaming of a new mirror to replace the large wall sized mirror that had been in the room since the house was built. Husband and his friend had removed it for me earlier in the week. It was corroded with chips flaking off the back so I really didn’t want to rehang it in the room. Husband and I politely argued, but he gave in knowing that sometimes I will compromise, but on this subject, I would not. That mirror screamed 1980s, and I wanted the fresh look that uses one or two smaller mirrors in frames. I wanted something unique and those are not words generally associated with the big box stores so, the next day, I went to some clearance stores like Marshalls, Home Goods and Bealls Outlet, but I could not find what I wanted. I stopped by Pier 1 on a whim found a wrought iron looking design of vines and leaves with metal birds around the mirror on sale. It is the perfect size for the wall. The mirror was the biggest expense and everything else was either on clearance or recycled. I badgered husband into putting the mirror up that night, hung my new shower curtain, towels, and magazine rack, a glass picture I made and reused the bathroom rugs. It looks beautiful! We are now all ready for company who will come at the end of the month, and we did it ourselves on a very small budget. Husband and I are getting pretty good at doing it ourselves. I think I am prouder of our own handiwork than I would be if I hired someone to do it for me. Have you thought about the fact that you are God’s handiwork? No matter what failings or shortcoming you think you have, He is still proud of you. Just like you are.
No remodeling necessary.
I love the lesson of your post.
Your bathroom looks beautiful! Light and airy and COOL – very important in Florida.
I get so much satisfaction from doing things myself. They don't always come out perfect (kind of like man), but I always love walking into a room I've done over again. Especially one I've done on a shoestring!