Splish Splash I Was Takin' a Bath

Over memorial day weekend I rode horses, saw a beautiful sunset on a mountain, and I made some upgrades to the bathroom. Ha-ha!

To be accurate, my boyfriend (I think I've decided to just call him Ant from here on out, because calling him my boyfriend takes more typing.) installed a bathroom sink faucet and I installed the new showerhead. The faucet was the first thing done, so I'll start there.

I picked up this faucet from Overstock a few weeks back for about $50 shipped (no tax). (Remember the Bathroom Plan?)

Overstock Satin Nickel Classic Two Handle Bathroom Faucet

Pretty! Perfect to replace the yucky faucet that was there when I moved in, complete with plastic handles...

Bathroom with Old Faucet (and old medicine cabinet!)

I considered a few other types of faucets before landing on my favorite one including the cross-handle kind and the kind with porcelain handles. While that would have been a vintage-look that would fit with the age of the condo, I thought it looked cheesy. Many of the features in the condo are very cheap, take the basic square white tile in the bathroom for example. So I have to be careful to not make those features stand out - I want them to sort of blend into the background.

So anyway, back to installation! Ant did it all, and he was awesome. He had one set back when he stuck his finger down the drain and something bit him. Luckily I had pickle band-aids so he felt better quickly. Ha-ha!

Seriously I have no idea what happened. I guess sharp things live in drains? Who knew. But I knew that as I watched his finger go down the drain, I thought, "Hm. I would not do that." But I am not a smart-ass, so I didn't say anything! Just kidding, I am a smart ass. But I still didn't say anything.

With the old faucet off, it was time to clean. Not surprisingly that was my job. Ha-ha!

Dirty Sink & Old Faucet

Clean-ish Sink!

It was so gross. The before and after is kind of remarkable. All of that nasty gunk came off! This makes me think that this is why you caulk around fixtures...so I guess I should caulk around the new one? I haven't yet. I am sure it will take me five months like the kitchen sink did.

Sink with Drain Removed

Here is where you insert all of the energy Ant had to put into unscrewing the old pipes/water tube thingys because they hadn't been touched in what appeared to be many years. And then you end up with the lovely finished product!

Finished Product! Look at that fancy new drain, too.

Not only does this new faucet look better, it also works better. The old one would sort of turn off unexpectedly if you didn't turn the handle far enough around.

Next was the new showerhead. I actually had an entire set for the shower/tub area, but I realized that the installed brand was a Moen and I had bought Price Pfister (my choice for the kitchen sink faucet as well). The set actually came with a new valve thingy, but I (and Ant) did not want to attempt that nonsense. I know my limits...SORT OF. So we decided to just use the showerhead which seemed pretty universal and send back the other parts. The Moen handle/tub spout is arriving from Amazon sometime next week.

Pfister Marielle Shower Trim

Here's the Moen handle/spout that are on their way...

Moen Brantford

The showerhead was a PAIN to install. A total freaking nightmare. For some reason the pipe in the wall would not meet the pipe at the end of the showerhead to screw in. It took literally hours of trying. I worked on it for over three hours after Ant went back home at the end of the weekend. When I got it to screw in finally I was cross eyed and my arms hurt from holding up the pipe that probably only weighs less than a pound. It had just been such a long time holding it up. I ended up putting a ladder in the bathtub so I could get myself closer to the pipe in the wall, and because I was tired of standing on the edges of the tub.

But it was worth it. The new showerhead looks awesome and works great! I can't get the little metal "O" piece to get flush with the tile wall because of the way that the pipe bends. I have to think about that. Suggestions?

It Worrrrrks!

The showerhead is raincan style, which is supposed to mimic an old fashioned outdoor shower (I think). I really like it. (And I even checked inside the wall for leaks...you bet I did, ha-ha! I ain't no plumber.)

With the new medicine cabinet and "trim" (I learned that new plumbing fixtures in the bathroom are called trim...) I think the plain old white tiles take a backseat in this room, in a very good way.

Next up I've got to install the new tub/shower handle and tub faucet, when they arrive. That should be a quick pop off/pop on kind of deal. After that...a new toilet! I am very afraid to install a new toilet. I mean, let's face it, that involves poop. Should I even try it?

Tufty Ready to Go

As I mentioned in this post, Tufty (the button tufted upholstered ottoman) arrived with a broken leg. I called the number listed on the informational booklet in the box, and the company who made Tufty promptly sent me four new legs.

So now I have seven Tufty legs. But I only need four. After popping them on the bottom of the ottoman, Tufty was ready to go. Ta-da!

So far so good.

My Happiness Project

Over my school break I read Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. It was very inspiring. Everyday I find myself thinking over some her thoughts on how to be happier, and I find myself a little overwhelmed trying to remember them all. I decided to make my own Happiness Resolutions in order to make it easier to remember (and apply) what I learned from her book. Gretchen gives you her own happiness resolutions, so I used hers as a jumping off point. Some of them match hers exactly and others I made up for myself. I thought 10 would be a good number:

1. Eat real food
2. Avoid talking about money
3. Be generous
4. Give energy to my interests
5. Exercise everyday
6. Curate a simple life
7. Listen
8. Say thanks
9. Uplift others
10. Be Lou

I'm keeping a copy of these resolutions in my email inbox so that I can refer to them easily. So far the most difficult resolution is to "Be Lou." The idea behind that one is to be yourself. It sounds easy, but it's really not! I often want to do things because I think that's what I'm Supposed to do, or it's something that I would want to do if I was some perfect idea of myself. But I'm not...I'm just Lou. Do I want to be the kind of person that can bungee jump and ride roller coasters? Yes. Yes! I want to be brave and awesome and do those daring things. BUT, do I want to do those things? No. They terrify me and just thinking about them makes me sick. So why can't I just Be Lou? That's the idea. It's not to say that I shouldn't push myself or try new things, but to understand that what I just plain old don't like is OK. I want to accept myself and accept the idea that I just don't want to ride a roller coaster. And then not worry about it anymore or make myself feel guilty for it.

Get the idea? I'm going to explore some more of my resolutions as I try to follow them in my life.

Introducing: Tufty

Remember when I was considering which ottoman/coffee table to buy? Well...

Tufty, Sleeping Upside Down

Everyone, meet Tufty! He is currently suffering from a broken leg, however. He is sleeping in the living room. He's quite comfortable because he has built-in tuft. He arrived fresh from the factory yesterday. Lucky that he's an ottoman, and that the people who made Tufty are very nice. They are mailing us a new leg today. Yay!

One Broken Tufty Leg, in Two Pieces

Airbnb Professional Photography

The moment we've all been waiting for...professional photography of 650 square feet! Back in March I requested that a FREE professional photographer be sent out to my place to take pictures for airbnb. Two months later and the pictures are here. I'll shut up now so you can take a look at what my place looks like through the lens of a professional!

Ok, so yeah, I only shut up for a little bit. But I had to point out the elephant in the room. My half un-grouted kitchen backsplash. HAHA. Laugh with me. It helps.

Sad face. Carty wasn't yet installed when these pictures were taken. You win some, you lose some!

The bedroom looks plain old weird in professional photos. It doesn't...clash.. this much in person. 

Hope you enjoyed!

How to Not Do Your Econ Homework

Have you ever thought about what your friends' talents are? Or just their hobbies? Some people have very distinct interests. When I think of myself though, I just see a whole slew of stuff that I'm trying out without being particularly good at anything. I see my half finished kitchen tiling job, a quarter of a painting I started, a stack of books I started and never finished. That used to make me feel pretty guilty. BUT, not anymore. Recently I read Steven Johnson's Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, and I feel a lot better.

Why? Well, because he talks about how being into different things can be OK and can actually spark innovation. For example, last night I wanted to start on my economics homework after finishing the econ readings, but instead I read some of the Johnson book for fun. It just so happens that the book was actually talking about economics in a way much different than my econ book itself was, so I learned something new. And that's one of the basic ideas in Johnson's book - different ideas running together from disparate places is a GOOD thing. The act of ideas colliding from separate fields brings new perspective. I really like this idea and I can see it ring true in my own life. At work I can sit at my desk for an hour trying to solve a problem until I want to cry, or I can think about something else for awhile and come back to the problem later. Nine times out of ten I will have a new way of looking at the problem, and I will solve it. So next time you are about to throw something (or cry) try working on something else. Even if it's just an elaborate way to get yourself out of doing your econ homework. It works for me!

I recommend Johnson's book for a quick and interesting read. It provides fascinating history behind many modern day ideas and inventions without being a history book. He provides theories on which environments and interactions help the development of good ideas. It's also inspiring to see his perspective, what I understood to be that good ideas don't just come from pure genius, something in the brain that we can't lock down, they come from a concoction of social interaction and dissemination of existing ideas and theories.

Tales of a Pint-sized Hoarder

Just like my goose egg! (Not.)

Today is mothers day! (I don't use an apostrophe because it confuses me in this case. Is it mother's day as in MY mother's day? Or is it mothers' day as in all mothers' day? Wait, do you capitalize it?) So I thought I would share a story that incorporates both my grandma and my mother. But really it's about me. However this is my blog so that's appropriate.

I was talking to my grammie (known as Grammie but I couldn't capitalize it before because I was referring to her as mine) on the phone a few months ago and she was making me laugh and laugh. We were remembering the time I hoarded a goose egg from her and my grandpa's cabin when I was very young (but old enough to remember clearly). She was jokingly referring to the egg as 'a real treasure.' Which caused me to laugh every time she said it. It was a real treasure, lemme tell ya!

As a child I was definitely a compulsive hoarder, and my inability to stop made me very upset with myself. I had nearly constant panicked thoughts like: what if I NEED this later? I most certainly will! And: this is awesome, how could I possibly throw this away? Etc. However, I was wise enough to know that my behavior was embarrassing and unacceptable. For an elementary school kid, all I needed to know was that it was the dreaded WEIRD. I did NOT want to be weird. So I hid it.

I was only ever caught (that I know of) three times.

From here. 

I had two average sized wall closets against a single wall in my room growing up. One was very nicely organized (I even liked to trick myself into thinking I wasn't a hoarder), but the other one further from the door was an entirely different story. I only ever opened it to shove more stuff inside, but I had to be careful because when my mom painstakingly turned my room into a Beauty and the Beast bonanza, she removed the folding wooden closet doors and installed yellow curtains with pink roses to cover the closets. As a result, treasures (yes, I'm still laughing) could easily tumble out. Well, only if it was piled haphazardly to the rafters and close to bursting with my collections. (And of course this closet was.) I don't think my mom ever looked in there (and I'm pretty certain my dad didn't). Except, one day, she did. And I'll never forget the look on her face. What I interpreted as kind of like, "Well, my daughter is insane. But, let's look on the bright side, she doesn't torture small animals!" (Except that one time I cut a worm in half in front of a younger family friend. Sorry, mom.) The issue was "resolved" by my mom telling me to clean it up. Then I think she probably walked away and took a giant Mind Sponge and scrubbed away that memory. (Whoops, here it is again! Sorry about that, mom!) That was incident 1.

Cut along the dotted lines. From here. 

Then later, I was at school and we were cutting up pieces of paper (if you have already changed your high opinion of me, you should stop reading now because this will really freak you out) and I of course I had to keep the scraps. STOP! I KNOW! You're thinking "OH MY GOD, WHAT?!" But yes, I had to! I had tons of reasoning!! Let me explain!!! The paper had tiny little adorable scissors on it where it showed you to cut. And I might need those little pictures for something! I could make Barbie scissors. Lots of them! Like hundreds of paper Barbie sized scissors so Barbie could have an elementary classroom size bucket of them for...crafts. She could have an entire ELEMENTARY SCHOOL'S worth of scissors! Paper scissors. Then Kelley or Kimmy or BARBIE'S LITTLE SISTER would never be in need of scissors! And if Ken ever took up scrapbooking he would NEVER RUN OUT OF FAKE PAPER SCISSORS. Just his size! Tiny! Teensy. 

Barbie I Can Be Doll - Teacher

I never did anything with the scraps I saved. I just took them home and put them in the closet I mentioned earlier. The Treasures Closet. One day someone at school, I have no idea who, but one of my fellow students, caught me shoving these papers in my eggplant-purple L.L. Bean backpack. I would sneak off, but this time someone was hanging out in the cubby area where our backpacks lived, and I didn't notice him/her until too late. He/she asked me what I was doing. Of course I heard, "Hey, whatcha doin'?" as, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU FREAK!!!!!!!" So I freaked out and I tried to explain, but I could tell it didn't work as his/her eyes became bigger and bigger. That was incident 2. 

I totally need this bracelet! (Kidding.)

The last time I was caught was when my mom was FORCING me to clean out my desk. I had this nice yellow desk that she painted for me and added blue knobs to (holy crud, sound familiar? I do that to desks all of the time...). Anyway, I was cleaning it out and we were all having a good time and stuff until my mom said, "What. Is. That. Smell." And I thought it sounded like a funny thing to ask, but she clearly wasn't amused. She looked horrified. I had horrific flashbacks to the Treasure Closet discovery! But I distinctly remember giggling nervously and saying, "I don't know." Because I had forgotten about my prized treasure in the tupperware container. At some point probably close to a year prior I had put the egg that my grandparents let me take home (I guess they couldn't say, "No" to me) in a tupperware container in the back of a desk drawer and forgot about it. Again, I'll never forget what my mom said. "What. Is. THIS." She said surprisingly calmly as she pried open a corner of the lid. The room was quickly evacuated and the egg was disposed of. I think my mom initially said something about how we couldn't throw away Grammie's tupperware, but I think that idea was soon forgotten as the smell permeated further into the house. That was incident 3.

So, yes, I am a HOARDER. I saved scraps of paper and eggs! Eggs that were definitely not golden! Throw me down the chute! I'm happy to say that now, over 15 years later, I am mostly recovered. But I still have my tendencies. My boyfriend has pointed a finger at me with wild eyes and said, "You are. A. Box. HOARDER!" in the past as we stood amidst a veritable sea of boxes in the attic of our old house. I'm growing though, people, I'm growing. I've graduated from rotten eggs to boxes. PROGRESS.

Happy Mothers Day!