Last weekend I finally, (and I’m not exaggerating here) finally, got off my duff and painted our bathroom. Why finally? It’s had three different colored paint swatches painted all over the walls for…wait for it…
Three…
Yes, 3 YEARS!
I move fast, don’t I? Not to beg sympathy, but I had finally actually picked the color, and then I became ill with that pesky pulmonary Embolism. Six months of treatment, and a month off of that and I had an abdominal hysterectomy. Finally beginning to recover, I thought I would get on it last spring after I ran the Louisiana Marathon. After recovering from the marathon, I was about to embark on this joyous activity when my dad died. I know what you are thinking…Surely I could have squeezed it in somewhere in there. I probably could have, but I didn’t.
But in the past month, I decided I could no longer look at all the different colors on the walls. Hubs is happy to have it done, but he doesn’t like the process much. No mirrors, no lights, no towels. And using a bathroom that is shared by two teenage boys while waiting for ours to be finished? Not an option (they wouldn’t let us anyway, had we wanted to).
We have also been wanting to replace the toilet as well. The one that was in there was HORRIBLE! It was constantly clogged, and generally in bad shape. The obvious thing was to replace the toilet while the bathroom was already dismantled. More grumblings from hubs. You just can’t mess with a man’s throne.
After I finished painting, hubs removed the old toilet, and before he could plop the new one in place, I grabbed some paper towels and floor cleaner and went to work cleaning the floor. Only I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing, and gashed my hand on one of the bolts sticking up from the floor.
I’m not one to panic much with injuries, and tend to downplay things. But in this instance, I took one look at the that nasty piece of metal, and absolutely FREAKED OUT! All I could think of was flesh eating bacteria, and entertained generally melodramatic thoughts about how I was certain my arm was going to need to be amputated, while hubs rolled his eyes at me.
By the next day I had calmed down, but decided I probably needed a tetanus shot. So, away I go to get the tetanus shot, only I to find they are not giving just tetanus to adults anymore, but the full DTaP in an effort to cut down on Pertussis in children. And while I’m there, the doc suggests, I should really get a flu shot as well. Hmm… I ask for the nasal spray, but they don’t carry it, so I reluctantly agree to the shot. That was Wednesday.
Yesterday, I felt completely wretched. Apparently some people have reactions to the vaccinations. Also, apparently, I am one of them. As I don’t usually get flu shots, and I haven’t had a tetanus shot since well, a really, really long time, I didn’t remember this little inconvenience. And to top that, it took 4 attempts at seating the new toilet (and some pretty irritable conversation) on it’s new wax ring to get it installed correctly.
Suffice it to say, the new toilet looks great and works even better, but I’m not sure it was worth all that.
AllThingsBoys Blog 
Oh my! You have my sympathy from the get-go! I am not too crazy about vaccinations as well, and thankfully here in Ecuador I received tetanus and nothing else after a BAT had bitten me! I was there concerning a rabies vaccination, and they hit me – no warning – with the tetanus!
Last week when the same clinic casually asked if I had had a flu shot, my eyes got real big, and i asked ‘why do you ask?’ (i was suffering from bronchitis – or asthma – or emphysema.. they couldn’t decide!) i dodged the shots and the antibiotics and am happy to report that i am almost well thru common sense and good diet!
Your bathroom looks wonderful, and you will smile every time you walk through the door. Great job, and yes, it was worth the effort!
I’m not sure if you saw my post about inspiration — on that particular year, I did not have a bathroom project in limbo, but I did have a book illustration project, which was extremely difficult to complete. http://playamart.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/inspiration-while-the-world-outside-my-window-goes-insane/
I suppose that Life kicks us every so often so that we appreciate when the road is smooth! You’ve earned a long straight highway! Z
Thanks for stopping by! And gee I hope so. I’m going to have a look at your post!
Congrats to you for SURVIVING!! My sister had a PE, very very scary – and for surviving all of the other life changing events following! And the bathroom looks great!
Thanks Lynda! Yes, the PE was surprisingly difficult to recover from. And extremely painful. I’m glad the BR is done. Now when I look at it, I smile…
Gosh Arnel, take it easy! Blessings!
Thanks Holly! It can’t rain forever, right? 🙂
Love the color. Our guest bath is about that color and it is so much fun to decorate.
I’m thinking I’m going to hang some of my flower photos in there as well. I liked the color too, even if hubs wasn’t too thrilled. He would like everything white! 🙂
you have to wonder why the toilet fought so hard to get a new look??? lol. Girl you have been through so much, I am thinking the bathroom itself, should be bowing down to you saying thank-you!!!
I never thought of it that way! LOL, it did get a much needed makeover. I’m toying with painting the cabinets as well….
hey the paint brush is still damp, go for it!!!!!
🙂
Must be in the air, Arnel, not tetnus, but the painting bug. I’ve just torn down old wallpaper from the kitchen/dining room and am spackling. (If anyone ever mentions wallpaper to me again, I will strangle them…what an everloving mess!) Sorry you had such an ordeal, but it does feel good when it’s finished. Great post!
Aw, TW, there is. I’ve never been a spring cleaning kind of girl. Always fall. The weather gets crisp, and I want to stay inside, and make everything tidy and clean and organized. Wallpaper? Ugh, Now THAT is a chore! Painting is much easier to deal with. Good luck, and post a pic when you are done!
All of your ordeals – argh – hope you are feeling better from the shots now.
Finally feeling better. Which is a good thing. I’m supposed to go Rock Climbing on Wednesday!
You have been through quite a lot! So glad you are on the other side of all that, though. Cheers for the BR project. I chuckled to myself about “…mess with a man’s throne.”
What I’ve noticed is, they hate the process, but love the results (not that I love the process either, but someones got to do it!).
What a process! I hope the bathroom looks how you want it to look and you find much relief in the room
It is definitely better. I need to paint the bedroom now, but that might have to wait. I need a breather…
My goodness …what a time you’ve had ….In the end you have got your beautiful bathroom done… worth all that happened??? Probably not but it’s done…..Diane
And thank goodness too. I do like the color, even if hubs prefers white… 🙂
Hey Arnel
I find it alarming that you couldn’t get a straight up tetanus shot, I get wanting to try and cut down on the whooping cough thing, but you dont have little babies, and the flu shot, they couldn’t give it me if they paid me, I used to get them years ago and got sick/ had a reaction every time, and now with the vaccine having who knows what in it, I would rather deal with the flu.
Jim, I know. It bothered me too! My husband brother did research while doing a gen surgery residency and says there has never been a reported case of tetanus in anyone who’s only had one vaccine. So, according to that research, if you got the vaccine as part of your childhood package, you would never need another tetanus shot. I generally think this is probably correct, which is why it has been so long since I’ve had one. I was actually more worried about other kinds of bacteria than I was tetanus when I cut my hand. I wasn’t happy about the theory either of getting the pertussis part because they think that’s where kids are getting it. Sounds like trial and error to me rather than a decision based on hard data. I also read an article that says the CDC thinks increased number of cases of meningitis are due to parents delaying vaccine–by as little as a month or two. I’m skeptical, personally. I’d like to see studies that compare other countries rates of these same illnesses, who have a more relaxed vaccine schedule. Funny how they never show comparisons…I think it’s money related, frankly.
I agree it is all money driven, and I don’t know the answer on how to fix it. There used to be a time when morals and ethics were something people took pride in, now you have pharmaceutical companies paying Dr.s to push their meds, its absurd, and should be illegal. Some meds are made with mercury, and that gets smoothed over with the FDA with some strategically “donated” campaign money, last I checked mercury wasn’t good for human consumption, thats why they took away our thermometers, to protect us from ourselves, well who is going to protect us from the pharmaceutical companies ?
Actually, it’s now illegal for pharmaceuticals to pay Dr.s to push their meds, take them to dinner or really do anything for them at all, including give them a USB with their logo on it. They really have to rely soley on their product. Now, you are more likely to hear, “Well, I don’t know anything about that drug because I don’t like the drug rep.” Seriously. Which is just as bad as, “I only use drug X because the rep treats me right”. The FDA, now there is some scary crap, as well as the CDC. And if you’ve read my blog, you’ll know about our struggle with autism. And I do happen to be one of those one’s whose kids both went South immediately following the DPT, and an extreme reaction (fevers over 105, that were largely ignored). I do believe in vaccinations, but I think the US schedule is too aggressive. And if I had it to do over again, I would not have done it that way. And no, mercury isn’t good for human consumption.
Eek! Hope you’re feeling better. I’ll bet the room looks lovely now though 🙂
Thanks Deniz. It does look much better! And I am feeling better!
Hi again Arnel, good to hear you’re all better now! And I love the colour of the new bathroom. Very chic 😀 Take care and wishing you a great weekend! Sharon
Thanks! It’s getting better every day. The bathroom I’m so happy to have done. That was way too long to wait. I just need to paint the trim now, but it’s in pretty good shape already. There is just something about a fresh coat of paint that makes everything new.
Nice Job, Arnel! For me the painting thing is just such a trudge. We started painting the spare room … in February … no, it’s not finished yet. New paint means new trim (slowly, emphasis on SLOW, replacing the old stuff as we make our way around. When we (I) decided the kitchen simply HAD to be done (after 12 years) it of course lead to redoing the cabinets as well, – 5 coats of paint, both sides, 21 cabinet doors. Then the counter top, which never fit right in the first place, which lead to new taps and because hubby wasn’t paying attention, a new sink as well. Then coordinating colour was needed for the dining area (which is actually my art studio but whatever) where the decor was 15 years out of date so ‘coordinating colour’ means ‘now’, before they stop making it … and that’s when we noticed just how badly the patio doors fit …
Thanks Lynne! I’ve painted the whole house over the years, some rooms more than once. It’s been a while, and like you, I’m looking around and thinking it really needs everything painted again. Five coats of paint? Wow, that’s a lot. Why 5 coats? I know about that annoying thing where it’s a can of worms, once you start you can’t stop, because everything around what you just did now looks really worn! We need to invent something that will last longer….
The 5 coats were because the cabinets had previously been stained and needed a primer (2-3 coats) that would allow the subsequent coats of paint to adhere to it. It was that or sand down all those cabinets — unh unh … I went for the extra painting.
Ah, I get it. I don’t like sanding much either. I’d like to do my bathroom cabinets, but I’m like you, I’ve gotta muster the energy first!
I don’t even like the sound of the sounding – to me it’s like nails on the blackboard. (shiver)
Really? I don’t mind the sound, but boy it’s a lot of physical work.
That should be ‘sanding’ of course, not ‘sounding’ and yes the amount of work is also a deterrent, and the mask, a mask would be a good idea. We had cupboard doors propped and drying for weeks, coat after coat, but I still think it was the easier route.
LOL, I knew what you meant! And I know. Mask is definitely a good idea. All that fine dust isn’t good to breath in. My sinuses don’t like it either!