#29, #30, and #31

I finally called for a dermatologist appointment! I had scheduled an appointment with the same dermatologist last year for a rash that wasn’t going away. The earliest opening they had was 3 months out, so I got the appointment and then cancelled because the rash disappeared.

I fully expected the same thing- an appointment 3 months away… I was completely shocked when they said they can get me in next Friday! I think it’s rather ironic that this video is spreading like wildfire on facebook this week. I have spent my fair share of time in tanning beds and in the sun. I got so burned once from the tanning bed, that I couldn’t sleep from the pain. My skin has never been the same since. I’ve had a mole removed from my arm and now I’m worried about the same one since it has come back. After seeing this video I am more anxious than ever for Friday! But at least I’m getting seen quickly.

The first week back from a major break is always hard. I’m getting back into a routine and the kids are getting back into a routine. Luke has been extra cranky at night because he gets so tired at daycare (but he absolutely loves it so much he doesn’t want to leave). We are finishing up the bathroom this weekend, and trying to enjoy this absolutely spring-like weather in January. Mrs. Holly and Emma Grace came for dinner last night and it was so great to let the kids play together.

We are also putting the last coat of sealer on the deck to finish off that project. What an ordeal that was last week dodging the random unpredicted rain showers.

So far the most “blah” month of the year has been pretty fantastic!

Master Bath Renovation: Part 3 (paint)

(just in case you missed part 1 and part 2)


It’s back again…. my beloved ORB (oil rubbed bronze spray paint). We have already painted our entire patio set with it, and the color is just so beautiful that I wanted to do all the hardware in the bathroom with it. Outside they went for a coat of primer and 2 coats of ORB. 2-3 days of drying and they are back in place beautifully!  I absolutely love the color with the wall color too!

I’m not opposed to buying new fixtures (toilet paper, towel rack), but I thought before we threw these away, that we would add new life to them and see how long they hold up.

Speaking of wall color-  I found it on pinterest (and young house love) of course! I seriously can’t believe I chose a paint color without actually testing it first. I wanted a gray (not blue) that would stand out against white trim. The color we have in there now came with the house and is actually the paint color throughout the rest of the house (master, hallway, living room, and dining room). It’s a great neutral “China Doll” by Sherwin Williams, but I have always felt like it’s just too light. Although dark colors “close in small spaces,” I feel like light colors get lost in a room. So the gray was perfect. It’s called “Gray Horse” by Benjamin Moore, but I had it color matched at HD.  I actually got really nervous at the paint counter because when she opened it to show me, it looked white… I was bummed and thought “oh well, I’ll see how it looks at home.” I put a test strip up on the wall and it was PERFECT. EEEK.

The trim got a coat of white which I swear adds new life to the whole room. I never realized how much fresh white trim is just so crisp and gorgeous.

And speaking of trim- Our mirror project isn’t quite done, which was my project to post about tomorrow… oh well. It’ll be ready is due time. We hit a speed bump when we took the mirror off the wall, only to discover a huge hole from where a medicine cabinet used to be… it caught us totally off guard and sidelined our project a few days while we patched up the hole.

The good news is it was the only speed bump (so far)! We wanted to add trim around the mirror but had those annoying mirror clips to work around-

We wanted to get rid of the mirror clips, so when we took the mirror down, we put Liquid Nails for mirrors all over the back of it. Liquid nails can’t be used alone for something that heavy, so we hammered nails all the way around the mirror to hopefully give it a second form of backup. We did reinstall the mirror clips for 3 days to let the Liquid Nails set, and pushed on the mirror every so ofen to make sure it was sticking.

So far so good (and its been up over a week):

I will post later about how we put up the trim (we actually ripped it out from another part of the house) and how we had to center the mirror (it was totally off center).

It’s amazing how LITTLE time I have around the house during the work week! I guess I just have to re-adjust to being out all day. I ususally have some energy to do a project or two a night, but the past 2 days have been exhausting and I haven’t been able to do anything (besides make a huge mess with the Christmas decoration storage)! Oh well.