Changing Colors

One of the things we have learned since moving in to our house last year is that no improvement project is ever as simple as it seems, or takes as few trips to the hardware store as we think.  And for the most part it's all good, since even the biggest problems we encounter pale in comparison to the problems that a lot of people have to deal with in this world.  At least we have a house, and we try to keep that perspective when something doesn't work out quite like we hope it will.  Same goes for our cars too.  I mean, we have not one, but two, fine automobiles in good working condition.  So if a door handle breaks off and it takes far longer to put the new one in than I thought it would, well, no big deal, right?  Anyway, even though it's not always easy to keep that sort of attitude when things don't work out quite the way we hope, we try, and I guess that's all you can hope for sometimes, eh?

Painting In Progress. New light fixture
will go above the mirror, which
takes up most of the space on this wall.

Anyway, we've been doing a re-painting project in the bathroom that has become a little more complicated than we would have liked, but hey, it's all good.  Having never painted a room of our house before, it was a little daunting getting everything in order before we even lifted a hand for the first brush stroke.  What color paint?  What size drop cloth?  What brand of blue painter's tape?  Latex or oil?  Rollers, brushes, or both?  That's not to mention the prep work that had to be done in the bathroom itself, like removing fixtures and taking things out.  But a few days ago after everything was in order, the borders taped over, and the circuit breaker shut off*, we carefully began Painting Project Numero Uno.

All in all it was a success, despite a few misplaced drops of paint here and there and a couple bits of blue tape stubbornly stuck to various surfaces yet.  The room looks much better than it did, and we are slowly putting it back together the way we want it too.  And so all's well that ends well?  Yes, but not as such--or at least, not yet anyway.  The light fixture above the mirror needs to be replaced, and this is where things are starting to get complicated.  It's going to involve some drywall cutting, a tad bit of re-wiring, and the installation of a new junction box too.  And like the time I installed the mount for our TV in the brick fireplace chimney, I have no real idea what I'm doing here and will probably just figure things out as we go (with more than a few phone calls to my dad, who could probably build an entire house with his eyes closed).  Oh, and we also need to find a new light fixture, which is a daunting project in and of itself.

Anyway, I think we're in pretty good shape and I'm sure in a few days we'll have a new-looking bathroom all painted and re-lit and everything.  And besides, even if things don't quite work out, what's the worst that could happen?

*note: grabbing bare wires without performing this step is not recommended, as I found out firsthand :)